Bond and Curse
by Waterlily918
Summary: Allen, Kanda, and Alma were close childhood friends, but one day Allen disappears without a word. Five years later, Allen is still missing; Alma and Kanda meet up with a boy who calls himself "Arron". They end up becoming classmates at the same school, but Alma and Kanda don't know much about him, but they do know that he has many secrets. Who is he really?
1. Chapter 1

Alma woke up to the continuous ringing of his alarm clock. He slowly sat up and lightly hit the clock to turn it off. He yawned as he got up to stretch and started getting ready for school. He ate cereal for breakfast, brushed his teeth, and changed.

Alma gathered his stuff, and shoved them into the backpack. Before he left the room, he looked to the photo on his desk. It showed himself, along with his two friends; Kanda, who was his next door neighbor, with the usual glare in his eyes (though Alma knew they held no hate in them). His bluish hair was long enough to reach his shoulders, but now it went down his back, tied with a rubber band. It _had_ been five years since the picture was taken after all. And five years since Allen, the other boy in the photo, had disappeared.

It happened so subtly, yet suddenly. Everything had been normal the day before it happened; Allen hadn't mentioned anything of moving away. But the next morning, Allen didn't come to school. They went over for a visit to the apartment where he and Mana, his foster father, lived in. They found no one there. After two days of their absence, their teacher had announced that Allen had moved away. But it all felt too unnatural. Why hadn't Allen told them that he was moving? Did something happen to them?

Alma's thoughts were interrupted by the doorbell. He checked the clock to see that he would be late to school if he stayed any longer. The one at the door was of course Kanda. They always walked to school together.

"What took you so long?" He asked.

"Lost track of time." This wasn't a lie, and Alma didn't want to mention Allen in front of Kanda. It always made him get into a bad mood. He accepted the answer, and they made their way to school.

Like every morning, the two met up with their friends, Lenalee and Lavi, at the school entrance. They had met these two last year, when they first entered the high school. Now they were the closest, if not the only, friends they had. With Kanda's attitude towards people, most were too afraid to get closer. But that was just because they didn't know him. Kanda was never provoked to anger easily, even if it looked like he always was. But Lavi and Lenalee seemed to get along with him just fine. Maybe it was because of their personalities.

Lenalee was a sweet, nice girl. She liked being positive, but could beat someone up if she ever got mad. As long as you stayed on her good side, which wasn't hard, you'd be good friends with her.

Lavi, on the other hand, was always cheery, making silly remarks. He was quite playful, and made you laugh. The times he got serious would be when he's sticking up for a friend; he strongly valued his friendship with the three.

"Hey, Yuu, Alma, how's it going?" Lavi said, waving happily towards them. Kanda scowled, and tried to smack Lavi on the head. He hated being called _Yuu_ , but Lavi always did it anyway. He dodged Kanda's blow by leaning away, getting used to it by now. But he didn't see the next hit coming. Kanda stretched his leg out, using the tip of his foot to knock Lavi off his feet. He landed with a loud _ouch_.

"Hey! That was low. Unfair!" Lavi protested.

"Why should I care? If you would learn to keep your mouth shut, you wouldn't be down there." Kanda replied. Alma sighed, and Lenalee giggled as she helped Lavi up.

"Come on, we're going to be late for class." she said. Kanda gave one last glare towards Lavi before walking into the building, with Alma beside him, and Lavi and Lenalee behind them. They chatted all the way to their first class, one they had together. In all, the four of them had three classes together, along with lunch. Some classes had two or three of them together, but there were other ones where they were all separated.

They took their seats in the back right corner of the room, where the windows let in the sun's soft morning light. Their teacher, Ms. Lotto, called for their attention to begin class.

In the cafeteria, the foursome sat in their usual spot, chatting as they gobbled down their lunch. Alma was on his phone when he noticed some news that caught his interest.

"Hey guys, look at this." He turned the phone for them to see. Lenalee read it aloud for the others to here.

"Up North, an explosion of what is suspected to be a research lab blew half the building to pieces. Luckily, there were no casualties, but there were many injured. It was also indicated that there were a few people missing. The cause of the explosion is unknown by the police, but their investigation continues." There was a picture of the lab in flames next to it. Alma frowned.

"That is interesting, but the one I was talking about was the one below that." He turned the phone back so it was facing him, and read the first paragraph.

"For the last few days, there have been claims of monsters being sighted around the neighborhood, all during the night. There have been reports of disappearances, but whether the "monsters" are related is unknown. Police have began to patrol the area in caution of these events, hoping to bring down the cause. For now, it is best to say that it is safer to avoid leaving homes at night." Lenalee frowned.

"First an explosion, then monsters? What is going on?" she asked, voice showing worry.

"I don't know. But if it's true that there are some weird things out there, that are dangerous," his voice turned deep, "you might get eaten, disappearing without a trace!" Lavi said, on with one of his jokes again. But Alma felt a chill go down his spine. This wouldn't be in the news for no reason, and there had to be something going with people _seeing_ the monsters, and reporting it.

Kanda seemed to notice how restless Alma was, and said, "you shouldn't need to worry about every little thing. There's no way there's actually monsters, so there's probably some kind of trick behind it. And they only appear at night, right? They didn't mention anything about house invasions, so as long as you stay home, it shouldn't matter." Alma smiled, feeling a little better. Kanda's words had a way of making everything seem so simple, and it helped him worry less.

"But, make sure to at least be careful, just in case."

Alma sat at his desk, attempting to do his math homework. But it wasn't his strong suit, and it took a while to process what the question was asking. He sighed, deciding to take a break. He headed to the kitchen for a drink of water. The house was quiet because his parents were rarely home due to work. It was hours away from home, so they only made it back about three times a month. But they made sure to keep in touch more often through calls and texts.

Alma's stomach began growling, so he made himself a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and was walking back to his room when, suddenly, he heard a loud _THUD_ sound coming from the front of the house. Alma flinched at the sound. He thought at first that it was some animal like a cat roaming around, but the sound was too loud for that. The conversation he had with his friends made it's way into his mind. Alma shivered, thinking whether he should check it out, or just ignore it. Soon, curiosity won over. He set down the plate of the sandwich he barely started eating, and the glass of water onto the counter, and walked to the front door.

First, he looked through the peephole, but he couldn't see much, and didn't dare turn on the light outside. Alma's house had a porch, so whatever the sound was, it was somewhere there. Gulping, he slowly unlocked the door, and opened it. Nothing happened. He opened the door wider, and looked right, then left-. What he saw made him gasp. There, he found a boy collapsed on the ground.

* * *

 **Well, there's the first chapter. Some people may think this is a pretty rushed start, but I thought this was the best way to introduce the story. And I'm not the type to linger on pointless events, just to stretch the chapters (doesn't mean I don't add detail, mind you). I tried to describe the characters as close as possible to the anime, but it's not perfect, considering the characteristics of my own plot. Especially Kanda; I related his actions to the anime, but his personality isn't really that similar. Let's just say that because in this world, there was no tragedy, he's a bit nicer. Anyway, hoped you liked it. Any comments are welcome, and look forward to the next chapter.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey! Here's the second chapter. Forgot to mention I will be updating this story weekly, hopefully every Friday/Saturday. I don't like to keep my stories unfinished, so I will do my best to give this story a satisfying ending.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own D. Gray-man.**

* * *

Kanda stared in awe at the unconscious boy. Alma had come over to his house, ringing the bell in panic. When he noticed how flustered he looked, Kanda began to worry. Alma could barely explain himself without jumbling the words together, so Kanda had him take them back to where he had found the boy. They helped each other to carry him into Alma's house, setting him on one of the living room couches.

He wore a plain white shirt and black pants. They were tattered, ripped, and dirty as if he had just been through a furious storm. But three things caught Kanda's attention the most: 1) the boy's hair; it was as white as snow, even if dirtied. 2) A mark that went over his eye, and down his face. At the top, there was a shape that resembled a pentacle. And 3) his deformed left hand. It was a dark, rusty, red color. All these things were very unusual. Where in the world was he before he collapsed in front of Alma's house? Then, Alma gasped next to him, and Kanda turned to see what was wrong.

"There's blood!" Alma said, getting panicked. Kanda turned his attention back to the boy. It was true; a red spot was spreading from his white shirt. Kanda tore the shirt apart down the middle. The fact that it was already half torn made the job easier. There was a thick cloth wrapped around the boy's stomach, with even more blood. That's why it was unnoticeable at first. Kanda carefully unwrapped it, and cursed under his breath. There was a nasty gash across his side, and it was definitely bad. He noticed that the boy's breathing was shallow and uneven; he was in a dangerous condition.

"Alma, get some warm water along with a clean rag, and some soap." he said. He had experience with dealing with an injury like this before, except, not nearly as deep. He decided to do whatever first aid treatment he could give. Before Alma came back, he applied pressure to the wound in attempt to stop the bleeding. It helped, if only a little. Then, he wet the rag with the warm water and applied soap to it, and started cleaning the wound as carefully as possible. After that, he added an ointment from the first aid kit that Alma had been thoughtful to bring. The boy's body tensed throughout the treatment, but nothing else. Finally, Kanda wrapped bandages around the wound. When he was finished, he sat onto another couch and let out a slow breath.

"That should be okay for now." Kanda said.

"Thanks. I would be lost without your help." Alma says, relieved. "You can stay over if you want, even if your house is just next door."

"Yeah, I'm exhausted, so might as well sleep here. I wanted to keep an eye on him anyway." Kanda said, nodding towards the boy.

Compared to how unstable he was before, he seemed in better condition. Now that he didn't have to bother with the boy, Kanda spread himself on the couch. He closed his eyes, but he didn't sleep. He was thinking of the current events that happened. Maybe he was trying to find a way to connect them, but he didn't know why. There was something about the boy that bothered him, but again, he didn't know what.

Kanda felt something covering him, and saw that Alma was giving him a blanket. He gladly accepted it.

"I'll need to finish up my homework, so I'll be in my room. Call if you need anything." Alma said, taking one last glance at the boy. Kanda nodded absentmindedly in response. He hadn't finished his homework either, but he didn't feel like dealing with it now. He'd do something about it in the morning. He heard his friend's light footsteps moving away, becoming softer until they couldn't be heard. Sighing, he let out the tension of his body and relaxed. Slowly, he drifted off to sleep.

Kanda woke up to the sun's light shining on his face. He turned his face away before opening his eyes to avoid being blinded. He let out a small yawn. When his eyes focused he looked to the couch where the boy was. Except, he wasn't there. Kanda shot up, looking around. He found the boy awake, looking out the window. His face was blank; it held no emotion. But his eyes seemed to hold an unknown longing or sadness.

"Hey." Kanda called. The boy turned around to look at him.

"Where is this?" The boy asked in a hoarse whisper. He was very calm, considering his situation.

"My friend's house. He found you collapsed at his porch. You were injured, so I did some first aid treatment." The boy touched the bandages wrapped around his side. He seemed to be thinking about what had happened to him, and Kanda had been curious. But the boy remained silent, inspecting himself.

"Good morning Kanda." Alma said, trying to stifle a yawn. "Is everything ok-" That's when he noticed that the boy was awake, and a smile grew across his face.

"You're awake! Are you alright? That injury isn't hurting you, is it?"

The boy looked over and said, "I'm fine." his voice still rough.

"Your throat is dry isn't it? Let me get you some water. Kanda, if you don't mind, can you get him a shirt from my drawer?" Alma asked. Kanda sighed, but he still went to get the shirt. The only person who could make him do something was Alma.

When he came back, Alma had brought the boy over to the couch. He was drinking the water, small sips at a time. He coughed a few times, but it settled down quickly. Kanda handed the shirt to the boy, and he began to put it on.

"Say, are you hungry? We should all have breakfast together. I'll fry some eggs and bacon with toast if you'd like." The boy was about to speak, but his stomach growled, giving away his answer.

"Alright, I'll get it ready right away!" He jumped up from the couch and almost ran to the kitchen. He opened the fridge to grab the eggs. Kanda followed him.

"Alma, you didn't forget about school, did you?" he asked.

"We can't leave him here by himself. What if something happens?"

"So you didn't forget. You're planning to skip out." Kanda sighed. Of course Alma would come up with such an idea.

"It's only until we can help him get home, or at least to someone he knows. We can't just kick him out on the street." Kanda showed a face that said, 'Who cares if he's thrown out?'.

"Just one day! At least today to make sure he can knows where he can stay." Alma pleaded. Kanda glared at Alma for a minute; he knew this wasn't going to end if he didn't agree. He sighed, "Fine, but _only_ today."

"Yay! Now let's have breakfast." Alma cheered. Kanda didn't like the way Alma acted as if this was what was going to happen all along.

"Hey, food's ready." Kanda called to the boy. He made his way to the dining room slowly, making Kanda realize that the wound did hurt him. That was obvious of course, but the boy hadn't showed any reaction before. It had looked like he didn't feel it.

They sat together, each having their own plate of eggs, bacon, and toast. Alma had gotten out the orange juice, but the boy only wanted water, so he poured only for himself and Kanda.

"Oh, I almost forgot." Alma blurted, "We haven't gotten your name yet." He looked over to the boy.

"It's A-" the boy paused for a minute, frowning. Kanda and Alma looked at him, confused. Then, the boy finally responded.

"My name's Arron."

* * *

 **Well, there's that. I hope my explanations made sense throughout, because I try to make them as realistic to the story as possible. Also, this story is third person, so if you see any "I, my, me…", I would appreciate it if you comment on it. That mistake happens a lot with me.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks to** **Kittyhawk09 for the first review on this story; I really appreciate it. It is my first time posting a story online, so I was really happy.**

 **To other readers, reviews are welcome from you as well.**

 **Anyway, hope you enjoy this chapter!**

"Arron, come on in." Alma said. Allen followed him and Kanda to the boy's room. Walking hurt his side because of the gash, but he could deal with it. They were being so nice to him after all, even if they didn't know him; to be more precise, they didn't recognize him. It was true that he had changed a _lot_ in the past years, and there was no surprise that they didn't know who he was, but it still hurt.

But he convinced himself that it was better this way. He had almost made the mistake of telling them his real name, but he had covered it up just fine, since they seemed to believe him when he said his name was Arron. Though in truth, he was Allen Walker, their friend from five years who had supposedly moved away.

"Arron, is something wrong? You look depressed." He looked up to see both boys staring at him. His emotions must have shown on his face. He cursed himself on the inside, but smiled lightly on the outside.

"There's nothing wrong. I was just thinking about something." His voice was better than before, but still had a roughness to it. They sat down around the small table in the middle of the room. He looked around, a lot of it all too familiar. He could remember the times the three of them played together in this very space. His eyes caught something, and he saw that it was a photo on the desk. Alma must have noticed, because he took the photo and put it in front of them for Allen to see.

"It's a picture from back in elementary. There's me, Kanda, and our other friend." Alma explained. The other friend was Allen himself, but the him now looked nothing like he did now. His reddish brown hair that he always tied back, was now white and left down. He didn't have the mark on his face or the deformed arm either.

Although Allen already knew the answer to this question, he still asked. "Do you all go to school together?"

Alma shook his head. "Allen, that's his name, moved away the same year this picture was taken. I wonder how he's doing."

Kanda snarled. "Moved, did he? He disappeared, leaving his friends without a word whatsoever. Who cares about that idiot?"

"Despite that, you called yourself his friend." Alma commented with a smile.

"Che, shut up." Kanda turned his face away.

"But I wish we heard something, anything from him. At this point, I don't even know if he's alive anymore." Alma said, his smile growing sad. "I just hope he's safe, and if possible, I want to see him again. Oh, sorry for talking about something so-. Arron, what's wrong? Are you okay?" He asked, suddenly panicked. Kanda looked over and was startled as well.

"Huh?" Allen replied, confused until he felt something slide down his face. He reached up and touched the end of his eyes; they were wet. He was crying.

"Oh, s- sorry, I just…" He rushed to wipe his eyes with the sleeve of the shirt, but the tears wouldn't stop falling.

"I- I remembered a friend I had. We were close, but he died a long time ago." The story was true, but that wasn't why he was crying. He was happy that his friends hadn't forgotten him and still cared, but he was also sad that he caused them such pain.

"No, it's fine. I'm sorry I reminded of something sad." Alma said. When the tears finally stopped, his eyes were a bit red.

"I hope you see your friend again." He said to both Alma and Kanda. But in truth it was a wish that Allen held within him. He was wishing for the day when he could face the two as himself, as Allen Walker and properly talk to them.

"Thanks." Alma said. They smiled at each other lightly.

"Say, I've been wondering for a while now, but how did you end up battered up on Alma's porch?" Kanda asked. Allen shifted uncomfortably, but he knew he needed to give an answer, and it had to be reasonable.

"I had just come to this city. I was planning to meet up with someone, so they could take me to where I'd be staying. But I ended up getting lost in the streets, and the sun was setting. When I turned a corner to an isolated street, I was attacked by some guy who had gone crazy. He had a knife with him, and I was caught by surprise." He touched the spot of the injury.

"I ran away, somehow losing him. But at that point, I was too tired to think, and the pain of the gash didn't help, so I wandered around. I don't know how I came to be at this specific house, but that's what I remember." In truth, Allen actually did have an idea of why he ended up there. He was probably subconsciously remembered the neighborhood, and went to the most familiar place. But he couldn't say that.

"So basically, you were too careless and stupidly got yourself involved with thugs in the street." Kanda said bluntly, a smirk on his face.

"Haha, maybe." Allen replied.

"Don't be so mean. It's not his fault he's can tell his way around." Alma said.

"Ouch, that hurts more than I expected." Arron said. He and Alma burst into laughter, although Allen stopped because his side began to hurt. The atmosphere had lightened up.

Suddenly, the doorbell rang. The three boys' attention went to the front of the house.

"Who could it be? My dad wouldn't ring the doorbell, and we're not expecting anyone either." Alma said.

"I'll go check." Kanda said. He got up to go, but Alma said he'd go too. Since they, were both going, Allen followed them as well. Kanda unlocked and opened the door. There was a young man, obviously older than them, but not by too far. He had long blonde hair put into a braid, and two spots on his forehead. He looked at Kanda for a second then turned his attention to Allen. Allen's eyes had gone wide.

"Link." he whispered to himself, but both Alma and Kanda heard it.

"Arron, you know this guy?" Alma asked. Link's eyebrow rose up, obviously confused. He knew _Arron's_ real name after all.

"Uh, yeah. He's a friend of my guardians, the person I told you I was looking for." he said nervously, eyes shifting from Alma to Link.

"That's great! Now we don't have to try finding them." Alma cheered.

"But how did this "Link" guy know that Arron was here. That can't be a coincidence." Kanda glared at him suspiciously.

"I have no obligation to explain this to you, but I understand your point. You see, _Arron_ right here," he said, very obviously emphasizing his fake name, meaning he wanted an explanation later. "gets lost very easily. So when he goes out, we have to make sure he doesn't stray off too far, and had a tracker placed on him."

"It's that bad?" Alma questioned, turning to Allen. The boy simply nodded weakly.

"Now that I have explained myself, I'd like to take him with me. Let's go." Link said, not open for anymore chatting.

"Thanks for your help. I appreciate it." Allen said, smiling lightly.

"Yeah, it was nice having you over. Bye." Alma said.

"Bye." He waved and followed behind Link, looking back until the door closed. Once they were out of the neighborhood, Link's questioning began.

"Walker, who is Arron?" he asked first.

"Ah, you see, they were... acquaintances from the past, and it would be troubling if they found out who I really was. So I used that name. I'm thinking of using it anywhere outside the order, just as a precaution. You think the higher ups would accept it as a request from me?"

"I don't see any problem. It would get complicated if people start suspecting your appearance to be something unpleasant, rather than just considering it strange. Your condition is supposed to be a Central secret after all." Link said. Allen sighed in relief. This made him, even if only a little, relaxed.

"Now, if you'll explain how you ended up there?" The story Allen had told to Alma and Kanda was the truth, up until the part of him being attacked by a "crazy man". In truth, he was ambushed by Akuma, monsters created from people's grief, sadness, and helplessness. The Millennium Earl created these monsters, and it was the Black Order's job to destroy them before they caused damage to innocent lives.

Allen was on his way to the order because he was chosen to be a host of "Innocence", the only power that could defeat the akuma. Those people are called exorcists. He had the "Innocence" for a long time and learned to use it to defeat akuma. But Allen's condition was special. The mark on his face and deformed arm were proof of a curse caused by an akuma, and the order didn't know whether to consider him a threat or not. So he was being put under the eyes of CROW, an elite group of humans from Central who act as special enforcers. To keep him under watch, it was easier to bring him to headquarters.

"How many were there?" Link asked.

"Around ten level ones, and a level two. I finished the level ones easily, but the level two gave me some trouble. I ended up getting injured and had to retreat."

"Alright. This will all be going into the report."

"Wait! Please don't tell them that I knew the people who helped me! They'll definitely get them involved. I won't ask for anything else, so please, just don't put Alma and Kanda in danger." Allen pleaded.

Link stared at him for a long time before finally answering. "Fine, but in exchange you have to make sure not to cause me any more trouble. It'll be a great annoyance."

Allen's face beamed with delight. "Thank you, Link!"

"Just make sure to remember what I said."

"I will. I'll never forget it!" He was truly thankful to Link. He knew that if it had been anyone else, they wouldn't have accepted such a selfish request.

* * *

 **Hey, hoped you liked that chapter! The reason why I put it in Allen's POV was because I wanted to get his feelings into the story by now. And anyone would know that it was Allen, so what was the point of keeping it a secret, right?(I hope so).**

 **The name "Arron" came from "Aaron", but I spelled it like that to keep it close to the Allen's name. When it's in his POV or someone who knows his real name, he's going to be called Allen. Other than that, you'll be seeing Arron.**

 **You probably noticed that I said Allen's deformed arm was part of the "curse". That has its own circumstances that I'll be telling later. I apologize for the incomplete explanations about him, but they'll be coming soon, so if you could tolerate it for a bit. Thank you.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey, I just wanted to say that it had completely slipped my mind to put a break between time skips, and I hope that didn't bother anyone too much. I have that fixed now, so you'll be seeing the horizontal line in there. Just thought you should know.**

* * *

Lavi waited along with Lenalee at the school entrance like usual, but a bit worried. Both Alma and Kanda were absent yesterday, and it was the day after they talked about the monsters too. Something must have happened.

But all those worries flew away as Alma and Kanda both showed up, completely unharmed. Alma waved happily at them.

"Alma, Yuu!" Lavi went running to them, only to get smacked in the face by Kanda's bag. He staggered back, sure that his nose had been broken.

"Don't call me that!" Kanda growled.

"You didn't have to hit me that hard. Where were you yesterday? I was actually worried that you got involved into something!" Lavi said. Kanda and Alma switched glances.

"There was just a bit of trouble with something yesterday, so we couldn't make it." Alma said.

"Trouble? What kind?" Lavi asked. From Alma's tone, it wasn't something bad, but it wasn't good either.

"Let's get to the classroom first, the bell's about to ring." Lenalee told them. They made their way to the classroom. When they sat down, the conversation continued.

"Okay, so let's hear it. What happened?"

"Well, it happened before yesterday, after school. I was doing my homework, until I heard a loud "thud" sound and went to check out what it was. I opened the front door and found a boy collapsed on my porch." Alma explained. Lenalee gave a light gasp.

"What happened after that?"

"I got Kanda to come over to my house because I had no idea what to do. We brought him into the house, and-" He was interrupted by Ms. Lotto, who told the class to quiet down. 'Why did she have to come now?' Lavi thought.

"We've got a new student joining this class. Come on in." A short boy with unusual white hair, and a weird mark on his face walked into the room. He turned to the class with a small smile.

"Wha- how?" Lavi knew that voice was Alma's. He turned to look at what was wrong. Lavi saw that Alma was surprised, with his jaw dropped down low, and even Kanda had his brows furrowed. Lavi put the pieces out, figuring out that this boy was probably the one Alma found at his house.

"His name is Arron Wright, and he'll be joining us starting today. Make him feel welcome. Your seat will be... in front of Lavi. Lavi, raise your hand so Arron can see you." He did, and Arron began walking towards his new desk. He stopped halfway, glancing to his right. He must have seen the familiar faces, because his eyes grew wide. He obviously didn't want any attention, so he quickly sat down. Though with his looks, he was already in the center of it.

Throughout class, Alma's eyes shifted nervously to and from Arron. Then he wrote something on a small piece of paper, folded it, and passed it to Lavi. The front read, "For Arron." Lavi looked to make sure Ms. Lotto was busy before tapping on Arron's shoulder. The boy turned around, and Lavi passed him the paper. Arron looked at it for a second before taking it. After reading it, he wrote a reply, and passed it back to Lavi. Lavi passed it to Alma, who smiled as he read it.

* * *

"Over here!" Alma called to Arron, who was looking for them. He joined them at the table with a tray of food. Lavi found out later that the note Alma passed in class was an invitation to join them for lunch. So, now they sat together, although Arron didn't say much. He seemed nervous, so Lavi tried to bring up a conversation.

"I'm Lavi, and this is Lenalee. You already know Alma and Kanda, right?"

"Yeah, though I had no clue he would be coming to this school." Alma said.

"Me either. I was surprised to see you in class." Arron replied.

"But should you be coming to school. That cut at your side was a bad injury. You shouldn't be moving around too much."

"So, why exactly was he collapsed on your porch? He couldn't have been attacked by the monsters from the news, could he?" Lavi asked. At that, Arron flinched.

"Lavi, you're being insensitive." Lenalee said. "Sorry, you don't have to answer if you don't want to."

"No way, that's not what happened. Right?" Alma turned to look over to Arron, but he was looking everywhere but at Alma.

"Wait, you mean you were?! That's not what you told us!"

"So that story about the thug with the knife was a lie." Kanda said.

"Well, I mean who would believe a story like that from a stranger they just met? I thought it was better to keep it simple." Arron said.

"Yeah, I wouldn't have believed it, and I still don't." Kanda said. Arron sighed.

"So, what were they like?" Lavi asked. Everyone looked at him.

"Huh?" Arron asked, confused.

"The monster! You saw one, right?"

"So you believe me?" Arron asked. Lavi was curious about what the boy had seen, and he wanted details. This could lead to some interesting information.

"Why not? If it's going as far as the news, then there has to be something behind it."

"I actually don't remember much because I had been attacked right away. But I think that it looked like some kind of machine. But my vision was hazy, so I'm not sure if what I saw was true." Arron explained.

"Hmm." Lavi, from experience could tell when someone was hiding something or lying. And Arron was definitely covering something up. There was no way a normal person could get attacked by an akuma (he was positive that's what the boy had encountered) and get away with only one cut, even if they were lucky. After that, there wasn't any more talk about the monsters, and they just got to know each other. Lavi and Lenalee saw Arron's arm for the first time, but they didn't seem to mind it. Lavi smiled when he saw the boy's relieved expression.

The bell rang, and they were finally dismissed from school. Lavi grabbed his stuff, and went over to Arron's desk. This was the only other class he had with him, but since it was the last period, he could at least walk with him to till they left the building. Outside, there was a silver car parked, waiting for someone. That person was apparently Arron. There was a man waiting outside the car, one that Lavi recognized.

"Link." Arron said to get his attention.

When he looked up, Link's face went to Lavi. "Bookman Junior, quite the coincidence." he said. Arron looked over to Lavi, dumbfounded.

"You're that Bookman's apprentice?" he asked. The Bookman Clan was an organization dedicated to recording and maintaining the true, or hidden, history of the world, and Lavi was taken in to succeed the current Bookman.

"So you do know. But I prefer to be called Lavi. Arron, what are you doing with a CROW like him? You're quite involved with the order, aren't you?"

Arron sighed. He looked behind him. "Link, mind giving him a ride? We can't talk out here." Link agreed, so they all got into the car, Arron in the passenger seat, while Lavi was in the back.

"You know me, Bookman's apprentice and all. Link here's a CROW, so who's the one he's picking up?" Arron looked at Link, and he nodded, apparently getting permission to talk.

"You know of the akuma's curse, right?" Arron began.

"Of course. When the dead soul is revived, they become Akuma, taking over the body of the one who brought them back. The person dies, no longer becoming human. There hasn't been a single incident where that didn't happen." Lavi said.

"Not until Walker here came along." Link said.

"What does that mean? And your real name's Walker?" Lavi questioned. He straightened up, intrigued to know more.

"My name's Allen Walker. I turned my foster father, Mana into an akuma." Lavi let that sink in for a moment.

"At that time," Allen continued, "Mana and I had just left this city as if running away from something. I found out later that it was the akuma. Mana had an "Innocence"; he wasn't the one chosen for it, though. I don't know how he got it or why. Just that we had to get somewhere away from the akuma."

"But the akuma can follow you anywhere as long as you had the "Innocence". Where were you going?" Lavi asked.

"I don't know. He may have been trying to get in contact with the order, but I can't be sure of that. We continued running until one day we got ambushed. Mana protected me, and was killed. I didn't know what had happened to the "Innocence". I thought it was probably taken away. I roamed the streets, depressed. Of course, the Millennium Earl came. I wasn't told anything about what those akuma were and how they were created, so I didn't know who the Earl was either. Now that I think about it, it was pretty stupid; creating the very monster you were running away from. But I did, and Mana turned into an akuma." Allen took in a long breath, and slowly let it out.

"Before the akuma could take my body, though, the "Innocence" that I thought was gone showed up. There was a flash of light, and I felt pain in my left arm and eye. Next thing I know, Mana's gone, destroyed, and I was left looking like this."

"So the "Innocence" saved you. You became the host right before being turned into an akuma." Lavi said. He had written all the details in his notebook to make the report to Bookman later.

Allen nodded. "Later, I found out that Mana was the one who inflicted this wound in my eye, cursing me in the process. I can now see the souls of akuma." Lavi was fascinated by this, but he didn't comment. Instead, he wrote down some notes.

They entered a forest path, and after driving for a few minutes, you could see the large tower up ahead. Not many came through here other than the exorcists and finders. Even if they did, there would be no way get to the building that was on such a high cliff. Standing next to it, you couldn't even see the top.

"Since you gave me a ride, how about I give you one?" Lavi said, smiling.

"No thank you. I'm not interested in riding that hammer "Innocence" of yours." Link said, frowning.

"Hammer?" Allen asked. Lavi pulled out a small hammer; but it grew bigger, becoming the size of Lavi himself. He set it on the ground with the 'head' on the ground and the handle in his hand.

"Hold on to the handle." he told Allen. He complied grabbing it with his right hand.

"Link, you're going to be left behind." Lavi said. The man sighed, grabbing on.

Lavi began to chant, "Big hammer, little hammer, shin, shin, shin (extend)!" The hammer extended up, taking them up the cliff fast. It wasn't long before the three of them were standing on the firm ground of the cliff. The hammer had returned to its original size. The three of them looked up at the Black Order tower.

"Welcome to headquarters!"

* * *

 **There you have it! Allen's story is out. Yes, it's completely different from the anime, but that's the point. This carries a better flow for my story, because sadly, there won't be any Noahs. And if there are no Noahs, there's no 14th, and it wouldn't add up. And Allen couldn't have his deformed arm when he was born, or Alma and Kanda would know it's him. So if you were wondering why I bothered with such a complicated history, that's your answer.**


	5. Chapter 5

Allen sat next to Lavi, and across from Alma at the lunch table today. Kanda was sitting next to Alma, and Lenalee on the other side on Lavi. They were talking about the news, what they planned to do that weekend, and some other things, but Allen wasn't paying attention. He was thinking about his visit to the order yesterday.

Lavi left to go make his report, while he and Link headed to see Inspector Lvellie, who Link worked under. He was a high ranking officer of Central's and was in charge of Allen's case. The conversation replayed in his mind.

" _Inspector Lvellie, I have brought Allen Walker as ordered."_

" _Good work. I'd like to talk with Mr. Walker alone, so you may excuse yourself." Link paused for a minute before replying, "Yes sir." He stepped out, closing the door behind him._

" _Allen walker, I believe you know the situation you are in?"_

" _Yes."_

" _Then you should know that you are considered a danger, and shall be monitored by members of CROW at all times. Your school is not an exception either. Your questioning has been removed due to our need of exorcists, but be aware that disobeying orders or going against the order will both have the great consequences. Do you understand?"_

" _Yes sir."_

"Arron! Are you listening?" Alma asked.

"Oh sorry, what were you saying?" Allen asked, snapping out of thoughts.

"Are you okay? Your face looks pale." Lenalee said.

"Yeah Al-"

"Lavi!" Allen yelled without thinking, slamming his hands on the table. He could see that everyone at his table was surprised, and there were some other students looking over to them. Lavi was also shocked, but then he seemed to realize what he did. But before he could say anything, Allen walked away.

He was out of the cafeteria, rushing through the halls. He didn't know where he was going, but he didn't care.

"Hey, Arron, wait up!" Lavi's voice called behind him. He stopped, turned around, and face Lavi with a scowl on his face.

"Look, I'm sorry. It slipped my mind, I didn't mean to call you Alle-"

"Don't use that name here! Why do you think I was using the name Arron to begin with? Don't go getting Alma and Kanda involved!" Allen said. He noticed the last sentence he said, and cursed himself.

"What do you mean, get those two involved? What does your name have to do with them?" Lavi asked. When he thought about it for a minute, he remembered something Allen had said before, " _At that time, Mana and I had just left this city…"_

"You knew them before the incident." Lavi concluded.

"Yeah, that's right; we were friends. But to them, I disappeared five years ago, and is possibly dead by now. And I'm not about to reveal this to them, because they'd get dragged down by the order. So, just please…" Allen's voice faded.

Lavi felt bad now. "I got it, so don't worry. They won't find out. I'll help you out, even." He said, making his voice cheerful again.

"There they are!" Both boys jumped as they heard a familiar voice. Lenalee and Alma ran over to them, while Kanda followed slowly behind. It looked like he had been forced to come along.

"Hey guys, sorry about the outburst from before. I just got stressed. I haven't been sleeping much these last few days." Allen said.

"It's fine. If that's the case, then you should be getting some rest. Your wound didn't heal yet, right?" Lenalee said. She must have heard about it from Alma. Allen had actually forgotten about it. But being reminded must have gotten his nerves to work again, because he felt exhausted.

"Yeah, I'll do that."

He ended up sleeping in two of his classes, one being his last, but it made him feel refreshed. Lavi had probably seen him, because he said, "You actually slept in class. I didn't think you'd be the kind to do that."

"After the trouble you almost brought on me, how can you blame me?" Allen said.

"You still haven't forgiven me? I was trying to be nice, too." Lavi pouted in a joking manner. Allen laughed lightly, but the mood was interrupted when an unfamiliar man was waiting for him in place of Link.

"Who are you? What happened to Link?" Allen asked.

"My name is Ray. Link was sent to another mission by Inspector Lvellie. A few of us were assigned to watch you, so you'll be seeing different faces." The man explained. Allen frowned. By "us," he was referring to the CROWS; Allen had enough with only Link at his tail, and now he had to deal with more.

"How many of you are there?" He asked Ray.

"A few, is all you need to know." Ray replied. Allen could've sworn that Lvellie was purposely trying to get under his skin.

"Now, I think we should-" Ray began, but was cut off by a voice behind them. Allen flinched at the familiarity of that voice. This was going to get complicated.

"What're you guys doing?" Alma asked, approaching them. Kanda was the first of the two to notice the strange man in front of Allen.

"Who is that?" he asked, glaring daggers at him. Ray did not reply. Apparently he wouldn't get involved in Allen's personal affairs. But that helped Allen because if the man had said something odd to the two, there would be no fixing it.

"He's Ray, Link's friend. They work together, and since they both have busy days, they take turns sending me home. Link couldn't make it, so Ray's sending me home today." he said. Allen looked over to see Ray's reaction, but he didn't seemed to be bothered by anything that was said. Allen sighed in relief.

"Anyway, it's about time I get home. See you guys tomorrow!" Before he could completely turn around though, Alma had called him.

"Arron, wait! Why don't you come over to my house?" He asked. Kanda looked at Alma as if he said the most absurd thing in the world.

"Um, I'm not sure I can." Allen replied, looking back at Ray.

"Don't worry about it. We're just going to hang out a bit. Lavi can come too, if he wants." Alma said reassuringly.

"Yeah, I'll definitely go!" Lavi exclaimed.

"Can I talk to Ray for a second?"

"Sure." Lavi said. He put his arms around Alma and Kanda's shoulders, pulling them away. Kanda immediately shoved Lavi's hand away and moved away from them.

"Do I have any orders?" Allen asked Ray.

"Not any against going to someone's house. But if you're going, you can't stay long. There's a mission tonight."

"Where?"

"The neighboring town." Ray said. Allen thought for a bit.

"Yeah, I guess I'll go. Are you going to drive us?"

"I have to keep an eye on you after all." Allen sighed. He had probably been doing that a lot lately, but he couldn't help it. Everything was just so exhausting these days.

"Hey guys!" I called back to the three of them. "It seems like Ray will give us a ride."

"Really?! Alright!" Alma cheered. He was happier about him coming than Allen thought. The four boys hopped into the car, Allen in the passenger seat while the rest were in the back. The drive only took a minute, and no one spoke except Alma who was giving Ray directions.

Once they got out of the car, Allen said, "You can come pick me up at six. That's okay, right?" He was asking both Alma and Ray. Neither disagreed, so the boys went inside the house. They were greeted by Alma's mother, who was very welcoming; she seemed pleased that Alma had brought friends along. She got us a few snacks, and Alma led them to his room. He placed the plate on the small table, then headed to the window.

"Ray's gone." he said. Allen doubted that. No, he was sure his observer was still somewhere within reach of him. The man could be on the roof, for all he knew. It wasn't hard for CROWS to commit to a small task like that.

"Why does that matter?" Kanda asked, grabbing a cookie from the plate. Alma joined him, getting his own cookie.

"Because, Arron looked uncomfortable around him. Ray's eyes never left Arron either. That's why I invited him over." Allen flinched. He glanced over at Lavi, asking with his eyes if it was that obvious. Lavi seemed to understand, but only shrugged in response. So much for helping him.

"Did it really look like that?" Allen asked with a nervous laugh. "Sure, I get nervous around him, but that's because I don't know him that well." He could no longer count the times he had lied to them like this, and he wasn't proud of it. But he didn't know what else to do; telling them the truth was not an option for him.

"You're the one who said he drives you home. Shouldn't you know him by now?" Kanda questioned. He was obviously suspecting something.

"That's the only time I see him, and we never talk."

"But Arron, why are people like Link and Ray the ones who pick you up. What about your parents?" Alma asked. Allen's eyes shifted to the floor. This was a delicate subject for him, and it had been hard telling Lavi while keeping control of his emotions. He wondered if he should lie again, but he wanted to avoid that as much as possible.

"They died. A few years back, in an accident. Some people who knew my parents took me to their place, but they're never around. I was left in the care of Link, Ray, and a few others until I'm out of high school." 'Or until they no longer consider me a threat. If not, then it's automatic execution for me.' Allen added in his thoughts.

"Sorry, I shouldn't have gotten into your personal business." Alma said, his eyes filled with guilt.

"It's fine, really." Allen said. "It happened a really long time ago." 'Five years ago, to be precise. But that that's the thing that would reveal who I am.'

"Come on, why the gloomy atmosphere? We're here to have some fun. Those stories can be continued later."

"I'm getting tired of it as well." Kanda said, but his voice wasn't angry as it always was. It was warmer. Allen remembered that Kanda was always like this, rough on the outside, but soft on the inside. He smiled at this realization, and Kanda noticed.

"Why are you smiling at me like that? It's creepy." he said.

"Oh, I was just thinking how cute you were." Allen said.

"Huh?! What did you just say?!" Kanda growled immediately on his feet.

"Did I say something? I don't seem to recall." he faked ignorance playfully. He was crouching on the tips of his toes, ready to move.

"Don't play dumb! I'm seriously going to kill you!" Kanda yelled running to grab him. Allen pounced away to another side of the room.

"Hey Arron, you really angered Yuu this time!" Lavi said. Kanda's glare shifted from Allen to Lavi.

"Oops, shouldn't have said that." Now Kanda was chasing Lavi and Allen, both laughing as they ran around the room, while Alma tried to calm Kanda down. When they got too tired to move, each one had found their spot around the table to catch their breath. Allen laughed, but it sounded more like puffs of breath.

"Kanda-"

"Shut...up." he interrupted.

"You're still upset, Yuu?" Lavi said. Kanda glared at him, but he was too tired to do anything else. But Lavi knew when to stop.

"Come on. Don't start up again! I wouldn't be able to keep up!" Alma said. So they just sat there, as the room went into a calm silence.

* * *

 **Whew! I'm glad I finished this chapter. I was having trouble finding a stopping point. But I got it done. I really haven't gotten to the important parts yet, though. I have to make the right connections before getting to the serious part. But some discoveries are made (by the characters) next chapter, so look forward to it.**


	6. Chapter 6

Kanda opened his eyes, still feeling sleepy. Without having to get up, he could tell the other three boys were laying, if not sleeping, on the floor. He wondered when they had all drifted off. Then he heard the sound of someone shifting, probably sitting up.

There was silence until he heard Lavi's voice, "You awake?" At first, Kanda had thought that he had been referring to him, but then someone else replied.

"Yeah, have you been awake the whole time?" It was Arron.

"I drifted off for a bit, but not too long. Did you like coming here?" Lavi asked.

"Mmm." Arron hummed. "I haven't let loose like that since forever." the boy said.

"Can't be helped, with your observers following you everywhere. How long have they been with you?" Lavi asked. Kanda guessed he was talking about Ray, and possibly Link. So there _was_ something going on. But how was Lavi involved? As far as Kanda knew, he had known Lavi far longer than Arron, but they were talking about things that were never mentioned in front of him and Alma.

"Not long actually, because before that, I was with my 'teacher'. It was only after Cross had decided that it was time I headed to the order that they considered I was trouble."

"Your teacher was General Cross Marian?!" Lavi said a little too loud. Alma mumbled in his sleep.

"Shhh! What if you woke them up? This isn't even a conversation we should be having here!" Arron whispered, unaware that Kanda had heard every word they were saying. What had Arron done to keep him under observation? And who was this General Cross? Kanda doubted the title had any relation to the military.

"Yeah, he was the one who found me after...after I killed my father." Arron said, voice trembling. Kanda's eyes widened. He was turned away from them, so they didn't see him. What did that mean? Is that why they were keeping him under their watch? The statement that was supposed to give an answer, only added more questions than before.

From what Kanda heard, one of them had stood up. They walked in the direction of Alma's desk. Lavi's voice came from that person. "Is this...Allen Walker?" He questioned. 'He's looking at our picture.' Kanda realized.

"Yep, that's him." Arron said.

"Wow…" Lavi seemed astonished, but why?

"Quite the difference, isn't it?" Arron said.

"Yeah, I wouldn't have noticed, even as a Bookman." Lavi replied. Kanda could've sworn that the way the conversation was going, they were saying that they have met Allen, and he looked different than in the picture. When did they meet him, and where? Was that idiot still alive? The two were obviously covering up the conversation, cutting off the main details, and Kanda was irritated by that.

He waited to hear more, but it never came. The doorbell rang, interrupting them before the next sentence was said. Kanda almost cursed out loud, but remembered to stay quiet. 'Why did the bell have to ring at this time? I was this close to finding about that idiot!' Kanda thought. But after five years, he had finally learned something. It was a start, and now Kanda wasn't going to stop until he found a conclusion. He was done pretending that there was nothing weird with the way Allen left. Something _had_ happened, and he was going to find out just what. Arron and Lavi continued talking, and Kanda listened.

"That's probably Ray. I need to get going." Arron said.

"You have work?" Lavi asked.

"Yep, my first job since coming here. Sadly, I can't go alone. I'm going to be assigned a partner."

"Well good luck. Are you coming to school tomorrow?"

"I'll try to make it, but I'm not too sure."

"Alright then, I'll send you off. I should be going back too, anyway." Lavi said. They both left the room, so Kanda got up, not bothering with his act anymore. He took in a deep breath, letting it all out slowly.

"You heard all that." Kanda turned, seeing Alma up as well.

"How long were you awake?" Kanda asked.

"Midway through the conversation. I was feeling groggy until Arron mentioned his father." Alma said, a sad look in his eyes. Kanda remembered the boy's words, _'...I killed my father.'_

"You only missed the part where they mentioned Arron having observers; probably talking about Ray." Kanda said.

"There were so many things they mentioned, I can't wrap it around my head." Alma said.

"Let's try writing it down, then organizing it." Kanda said, going to grab a sheet of paper and pencil off Alma's desk. He sat next to Alma, and began writing. They made a list of the things they'd heard.

Being observed by Ray (& Link?)

Considered a threat.

Was with General Cross (teacher) before he came to the city.

Was sent to go to the 'order'.

Killed his father

Has some kind of background with Allen Walker

Lavi also involved; called himself a "Bookman".

Has some kind of job.

"It's a lot less than I thought." Alma said.

"It's a start. Let's try to connect some of this stuff. First, Arron killed his father, and I think we can assume that it's part of the reason he's being watched by Ray and Link. But I'm pretty sure there's more to it." Kanda said.

"Before that, he was with Cross Marian, named a general. He was supposedly Arron's teacher. That teacher of his sent him here to go to something called, 'the order'." Alma said, joining in. Kanda nodded in agreement.

"That 'order' is most likely where he's being given jobs. But apparently the job takes time, or has risks, because Arron wasn't sure that he would go to school tomorrow."

"But how is Lavi involved? Is he also an observer?" Alma asked.

"No," Kanda said, shaking his head, "While you were still asleep, Lavi asked how long Ray and Link had been observing Arron. But he knows about 'the order', that's for sure. He also called himself a 'Bookman'. I'm not sure what that is."

"I'll search it and see if I can find it somewhere." Alma said.

Kanda shrugged. "Worth a shot." But that didn't get any relevant results.

"It says, 'a bookman is a literary person, especially one involved in the business of books.' Well duh. Could they get any more obvious?" Alma said, frustrated.

"You can't expect to find something like that on the net. It's not going to be that easy." Kanda commented.

"I know, but…"

"We'll figure it out. I won't stop till we do." He said confidently. "Now, one last thing we need to go over. How does Arron connect to Allen?" Kanda had kept this topic last, knowing there was a lot to think about concerning that part.

"We know that both he and Lavi know of Allen, and that they've seen him before. Apparently he looked completely different from how he does in the picture, enough that he's not recognizable." Kanda said. Alma was thinking silently, but his eyes suddenly went wide.

"Alma? What's wrong?"

"Remember when we first Arron, and I was telling him about Allen." Alma said. Kanda nodded.

"And Arron started crying, saying that a friend of his died a long time ago. Could he have meant…?" Alma didn't finish his sentence, but he didn't need to. Kanda knew what he was thinking.

"You're saying that Allen could be that friend. It is possible, but let's not jump to conclusions. We still don't have nearly enough information to prove anything. And plus, Arron said, 'I hope you find your friend'. I don't think he would say that if he knew Allen was dead." Kanda said, trying to be reassuring, but inside, he was hoping that this was the case. Right now, Alma's theory made the most sense. 'I'll find that idiot alive, and when I do, I'm going to beat five years' worth of injuries into him.' Kanda promised himself.

"For now, we need to-" the door suddenly opened, interrupting him. Alma took the paper and shoved it under his bed, sitting against the spot he put it. His mother walked into the room.

"Alma, do you have still have the snack plate I gave you?" she asked.

"Oh, yeah." He took it from the table and passed it to Kanda to give to his mom.

"Thank you. Any other dishes or cups?" Both boys shook their heads.

"Kanda, are you staying over? I could get you the small mattress and blanket if you would like." she said.

"No, I'll be going home after a while. I still haven't started on my homework yet." Kanda replied. Alma's eyes widened.

"Oh gosh, I forgot! I need to start now!" Alma exclaimed.

"Make sure you finish it before going to bed." his mom warned.

"Okay." She left the room, and Kanda took the paper from under the bed. "I'll hold onto this for now, since no one comes to my house. We'll figure things out." Kanda said. "Just don't talk about any of this outside of here, even if it's only you and me. We can't risk it." Alma nodded in agreement. Kanda was ready to leave, until Alma spoke up.

"Do you think Arron will come to school tomorrow?" he asked.

"I don't know." was all he could say.

* * *

When Kanda, Alma, Lavi, and Lenalee met up in the morning as usual, Arron wasn't there. Lenalee questioned the three boys, knowing they had been together with him the day before. But none of them could say that he was out on some kind of job from some place called 'the order' or whatnot. So they all agreed that Arron hadn't mentioned anything to them. Kanda noticed that Lenalee knew something was off, but she decided to let it slide, which Kanda was glad for. Now was not the time for that.

They headed to their first class, but there was slightly less chatter than usual. Alma seemed to be struggling not to talk about Arron. He had his mouth clamped shut, eyes shifting back and forth between the floor and Kanda. When he was going to say something, he stopped midway. 'It's going to take him a while to get used to it.' Kanda thought. If staying quiet kept him from saying anything, then Kanda was fine with that for now. But he could understand Alma's restlessness. He himself wanted to take Lavi or Arron to spill out what they knew. But that would probably make them distance themselves, so Kanda didn't do it. But he still thought about it.

"Kanda, what are you spacing out for, class is over." Lavi called. He hadn't felt the time pass by at all.

"I'm coming." he replied back. He and Lavi had the same class next hour, so they walked together. Though Lavi was very talkative, and Kanda found that very irritating. But today was different; Lavi hadn't said anything until they were halfway there.

"You seem to be in your own world today. Are you thinking about something?" he asked. Kanda somehow wanted to punch Lavi. He knew about Arron and maybe even Allen, while they didn't know more than the small details, and he hated that. But instead, he just gave him a sharp glare.

"What are you mad about? I didn't call you...by the name you don't like this time, did I?" Lavi asked. Kanda let the glare fall and looked in front of him again.

"I was thinking about Arron." he said simply.

"Hmm, what about him?"

Kanda decided to take a small risk. "I was wondering the real reason he ended up collapsed at Alma's house was."

"What did he tell you guys?" Lavi asked.

"That he was attacked by street thugs. Then in the cafeteria, he says that he was attacked by machine monsters mentioned in the news. So what's the real reason?" Kanda asked.

"You don't think it's either of those?"

"No," Kanda said, but unsurely. "He admitted that the thug story wasn't true, and I don't believe in some 'monsters'."

"But his reaction seemed real, at least I thought so. Why would he say that there were monsters if he had come up with a story for you guys already?" Lavi asked. That was true.

"So, you believe in that story?" Kanda asked.

"Sure, why not? By looking at Arron, you could tell that there's something strange about him, no? Getting involved with a few monsters sounds the most reasonable and unreasonable thing." Lavi said. Kanda had the feeling that Lavi was trying to lead him somewhere, but why? Wasn't it supposed to be a secret?

"How much do you know?"

"What makes you think I know anything?" Kanda looked at him but didn't say anything.

"Okay. I get it. You're done playing around. Well, I'd say enough to get involved. Into what, I can't tell you." Lavi said. "Plus, I think you should wait for when Arron decides to tell you. Though I can never guarantee when that will be. If you don't, things will start to get tricky, and you'll only cause Arron more trouble. So whatever you heard yesterday better stay in your mind." Kanda was shocked for a moment, then cursed.

"So you knew I was awake."

"I saw you when you woke up." Lavi said.

"So why didn't you tell Arron? He doesn't want us to know that stuff, does he?" Kanda asked.

"Because I felt like you guys deserved to know, but I promised not to tell. But if you overhear it, then it can't be helped, right?" Lavi said, smiling.

"I appreciate it," Kanda said sincerely, "but Arron's going to kill you." Kanda said, smirking.

"Not if he doesn't find out." Lavi said. "But don't rush it, cause this is more delicate than you think." Lavi warned. Their conversation ended as they entered their next class. Kanda didn't mind though; the risk he had taken payed off. Lavi was supporting them, which was helpful.

As he sat down, Kanda asked, "You couldn't tell me what kind of 'job' Arron is doing, could you?" Lavi shook his head.

"Thought as much." Kanda mumbled.

"You're either gonna have to be patient or force it out of Arron because he's determined not to tell to." Lavi said. "I don't prefer the latter, by the way."

"I have thought of doing that, but I know it won't help. And now that you've said something, it lowers my reason to do it." But Kanda was holding himself back. He really wanted to force it all from Lavi. He was right next to him and knew all the answers. But he would only confirm what they already found out. Lavi seemed to notice this, and sighed. He decided to give the guy a little break.

"I'll answer one of your questions." he said. The other boy looked up, surprise showing in his eyes.

"But there are conditions; it cannot have anything to do with his work or his past."

"Are you sure you should be doing this?" Kanda asked. Although he did want to know about Arron, he felt like he was prying too much.

"I don't know, it's your decision. Whether you're going to find out about him or not." Lavi replied. Kanda had many questions to ask, and he was sure Alma did as well. He decided to talk about it with him before doing anything.

"Let me think about it." Kanda told Lavi.

"I'll be waiting."

* * *

Kanda, Alma, Lavi, and Lenalee watched in disbelief at the scene in front of them. Arron was sitting at the lunch table like any other day, eating _plates_ of food; _plates._ He was on his third one when he noticed them looking at him.

"Oh, I'm a bit late, but hey guys." he said after swallowing the mouthful of food he had in his mouth.

"Arron!" Lenalee exclaimed, pleased by his arrival. "Where were you? You missed half of the school day!"

"Sorry. I had some things to take care of back home. I was told that I didn't need to go to school today, but I insisted to go after finishing." Arron said very vaguely.

"Well I'm glad you could make it." Lenalee said. Everyone sat around him and started their own lunch.

"Say Arron, how can you eat that much?" Lavi asked, staring at the empty plates. "I didn't expect someone as thin as you to eat more than us." Everyone had been wondering the same thing.

"I'm making up what I missed." the boy replied.

"What you missed?" Alma asked.

"I haven't eaten anything since yesterday afternoon. I'm starving!"

"Then we can't blame you for eating that much, now can we?" Lavi said, laughing. Everyone else joined except Arron, who was eating, and Kanda, who never laughed. Or smiled for that matter.

Arron had been talking about how full he was after finishing six plates of food, until he suddenly flinched, eyes wide. But he quickly shifted his face back to normal. Kanda was the only one who noticed this; everyone else continued their conversations casually.

Arron collected his plates, saying he was going to the bathroom to wash up.

"Alright, make sure to be back before the bell rings." Lenalee said. Arron gave a small smile in response before leaving the cafeteria.

"I'm glad Arron's okay. I didn't expect him to show up, but I was happy when he did." Alma said, smiling at the others.

"Yeah, Arron may be a bit strange, but he's a good kid. He's definitely keeping secrets, but who doesn't have them? It's just that when he's bothered by something, he doesn't tell anyone. I just hope he has someone to open up to." Lenalee said.

"Hey, I'm sure he's fine. I mean, he's smiling, laughing, and talking with us normally; he hasn't shut himself away from everyone. So I'm sure that he has someone who's been taking care of him." Lavi said. Lenalee nodded, smiling in agreement. But Kanda and Alma knew that wasn't true, and just didn't respond. Lavi had on a fake expression, trying to comfort them away from Arron's past, whatever it was.

Kanda finished his lunch and left the table. He was about to enter the bathroom but spotted Arron. The boy's eyes filled with tears that streaked down his face, shocking Kanda. 'Why was he crying?' He thought to himself, wanting to ask but felt he should give the boy some privacy. He wasn't about to interrogate someone who was crying, so he turned to leave.

Before he made it out of earshot, Kanda heard three words coming from Arron: "I'm sorry, Mana."

* * *

 **Hey! So how was that chapter? Kanda and Alma are starting to see things but it's not enough just yet. Lavi starts to jump in! Do you think I'm making him too chatty for a bookman? I mean you have to admit that if I didn't do that, the story wouldn't advance much. So we have a compassionate Lavi who tries to keep his promises while still trying to gain support from unknowing friends (if any of that made sense). But anyway, that definitely isn't the end of it.**

 **Also, do you readers have any suggestions for what kind of question you want Kanda to ask? If so, make sure to make a comment!**


	7. Chapter 7

~The day before~

After leaving Alma's house, Allen was driven back to the order. He was given a document that gave the details of his mission.

It read:

 _Mission: Locate and secure innocence from akuma._

 _Side Effects of Innocence: hallucinations & illusions._

Hallucinations? That didn't sound appealing. But what caught his attention was the location: _London_. Allen didn't have too many good memories in London. It was the last place he and Mana had run, the last place he saw Mana; the place Mana died.

"Allen, is there a problem?" the man at the desk said; he was the superior of the order. He somehow looked familiar, but Allen couldn't seem to make a connection.

"No, everything's fine, um…"

"Oh, how could I forget to introduce myself? My name is Komui Lee. Nice to know you." the man said. 'Lee?' I thought. Then it hit me.

"Wait, you wouldn't perhaps be related to Lenalee Lee, would you?" Allen asked.

"You know my sister? You are in the same school, aren't you?" Komui's mood suddenly changed. "You haven't done anything to my sweet little Lenalee, have you?"

"N-no, of course not! We're just friends!" Allen says, slightly panicking of what this brother would do.

But he simply said, "Oh, then that's fine." Komui responded, his original mood back.

"Um, does Lenalee know about the order?" Allen asked.

"No, and I'd like to keep it that way. It's not something to be taken lightly." Komui said.

"Thank you!" Allen said, sighing in relief. Komui raised a brow in amusement. Allen just realized he'd said that out loud.

"I-I didn't mean anything bad by it! It's just that, even if it's just around school, I don't want to be around the atmosphere of the order. I want school to be a normal, uneventful place. And with Lavi already there, I've just barely managed to keep it that way." Allen confessed. Komui's eyes softened and a small smile formed on his face.

"I understand. And since I don't want my sweet little Lenalee worrying, I'll help you out." he said.

"How?"

"From now on, your missions will be in the afternoons, or on the weekend, as to not make you miss school. This mission will hopefully be the last to prevent you from making it to school." Allen's eyes lit up.

"Thank you so much!" Allen had been in a good mood after that; until the mission. Allen had made it to London, and it turns out Link was waiting for him. He had found the innocence with his observer, but akuma were surrounding it. Allen fought them off, but when he approached the innocence, the illusions started affecting him. His past had revived, making him go through the same pain again. It wasn't until Link snapped him back to reality that he was able to complete his mission.

Allen went to school later, happy to see all his friends, but this didn't last long either. After enjoying his food, he suddenly heard a voice in his head, making him flinch. He headed to the restroom, but the voice continued to call his name. _Allen, Allen, Allen._

He went to the sinks to wash his face. But looking into the mirror, he found the source of the voice. Tears fell down his face as he saw the soul of his foster father hovering over him. After all this time, Mana's soul was still suffering because of Allen's mistake. He was still stuck in this world without a form. The tears continued to fall as Allen said, "I'm sorry, Mana."

After calming down, Allen headed back to the group, the only evidence of him crying were his slightly red eyes. But no one noticed, or they didn't ask if they did, which Allen would be grateful. Lunch ended shortly, and everyone headed back to class. Allen walked with Kanda and Lenalee, since they had the class together.

Allen was tired, so he almost didn't notice Kanda's glares at him. 'Is there something on my face?' Allen thought. But he didn't say anything, not wanting to start an argument that he knew wouldn't end. He was also exhausted and had started regretting coming to school. He even cried, which he hoped no one saw.

"Arron, are you okay?" Lenalee asked. "You look a bit pale. Maybe you shouldn't have come to school today." 'I was starting to think the same thing.' Allen thought to himself. But he just put a smile on his face before answering.

"I'm fine, just tired is all. And the wound I had already healed, so you don't need to worry about that." Allen reassured. He rubbed his eyes to wake them up, but that only made his vision blurry. He blinked a few times to get them back into focus.

"Have you been sleeping lately?" Lenalee asked.

"Um...maybe?" he replied with a nervous smile.

"Arron, I'm serious! You need to get proper rest. I swear, someday, you are going to collapse somewhere!" Lenalee scolded.

"I'm sorry, but I just moved, and it's been hectic back home. I've had unpacking to do and finished up this morning." Allen told her. This was an absolute lie. He had finished unpacking the day he got his room. The order allowed him to have his own apartment room, so he wouldn't have to go back and forth from the Black Order headquarters. He didn't have much luggage other than clothes and a few personal items anyway. The order provided everything else.

Allen hadn't slept even after coming back from his mission because the hallucinations repeated themselves in his mind over and over again. If he tried to sleep, the scenes would be revived, so he had to will himself not to. But sadly, he did not succeed, and woke up the next morning screaming at the top of his lungs. Allen was sure that his new neighbors had heard him. He wasn't in any condition to go to school until around lunch time, finally able to swallow food down without it being forced out again.

"Just make sure to take care of yourself." Lenalee said, her voice calm again.

"I will, thanks." Allen replied. The girl continued frowning at him before she seemed convinced; her face relaxed back into a smile. Surprisingly, Kanda stayed silent the whole time; not a single insult came from him, which Allen had been expecting. But he just walked behind him and Lenalee, watching silently.

"Let's hurry up; we're going to be late." Lenalee told them. We rushed of before the bell rang.

* * *

Once the last hour bell rang, Allen celebrated inwardly. He didn't have enough strength to do it out loud, and he didn't want to get attention anyway.

"You okay today? You seem really tired." Lavi said.

"How many people are going to ask me that? I haven't slept, so I'm tired; do I need to announce it to the whole school?!" Allen said, frustrated.

"Whoa, calm down buddy." Lavi said.

Allen took a deep breath. "Yeah, sorry. It's just the last few days haven't been working well for me. At least it's Friday, I've got the weekend to take a break from school."

"Just school?"

"Yeah, I was made a deal that allowed me not to be disturbed most of my time at school if I did missions on the weekend." Allen explained.

"Are you sure that you're going to be able to handle all that?" Lavi asked, worried. He knew the others would worry too if they saw him in a bad condition.

"I'll manage somehow."

Lavi thought of something at that moment. "Hey, you have a cellphone, right?" he asks Allen. The boy nods.

"Alright, give me your number. That way, if you need help with anything, you can call me." Lavi said.

"Um, why would I need your help? And with what?"

"Missions, of course. And if you get into some kind of pinch while trying to keep your secret." Allen took the time to think about it. He knew that the bookman apprentice wanted to gather information on him, the first to escape becoming an akuma, but he knew that Lavi didn't have any bad intentions, so he was fine with it.

"Alright. But don't go giving my number to anyone." Allen said.

"Oh, it won't be _anyone._ Maybe a few friends here and there?" Lavi said. He was asking Allen for permission.

"Fine, but tell them I won't always answer. Otherwise they'll get worried."

"Aye sir! Thank you sir!" Lavi said, giving a mock salute. Allen took out his phone and gave each other's numbers. Lavi gave him Kanda's Alma's and Lenalee's. He would give those three Allen's number later. They were already outside by the time they were done. The one waiting for Allen was Link this time. He said farewell to Lavi before getting into the car, and they drove off.

"Do I have any missions?" Allen asked.

"Yes. You have a mission now that might take the whole day."

"That long? Why?"

"First, there is an innocence there, so the akuma will be swarming. Second, one of those akuma is a level 3, with a bit of a troublesome ability." Link explained.

"And that is?" Allen asked.

"To destroy the molecular structure of any object." Link said bluntly.

"What? That could destroy anything! Has it done any damage?" Allen asked worried.

"Some finders didn't make it, and the town lost a few people along with some of their houses. After using that as a threat, the akuma stopped, as if waiting for something."

"It's waiting for exorcists to come." Allen said. "We should hurry before it decides that it's had enough waiting." Link nodded and drove the car, headed towards the town of Avrita. It was about an hour away, so they still had time. Allen laid his head back against the seat and sighed.

"You tired, Walker?" Link asked.

"Yeah, a bit I guess. I haven't slept the last two days, and everything's just piling up these days. I hope it calms down once I've settled in more."

"Well, you won't be getting trouble from Central as long as you follow orders. And even if there may be a bit of interference in school, it's still not bad, considering your situation." Link commented. Allen decided it would be best to keep the talk he had with Komui about the schedule of his missions to himself. Link reported everything, so Lvellie would find out. Allen was sure he wouldn't be happy with that, and may push him as far as skipping school. And frankly, Allen enjoyed his time at school, so he was not willing to give it up just yet.

"Does the Inspector really believe that there is a possibility that I will turn into an akuma after all these years of being cursed by Mana?" Allen asked, mostly to himself, but loud enough that Link heard him.

"The chance that it will happen is not likely, but Inspector Lvellie is interested in your ability due to the curse. I'm assuming he's trying to collect data from your missions."

"I didn't think he would bother with such a...slow method." Allen said.

"Lvellie did have other plans in mind. Komui insisted that the inspector refrains from causing you any damage, as you are a valuable exorcist and can't risk losing any more." Link told him. Allen sighed in relief, thankful to Komui. 'If he hadn't said anything, I would probably be on an operating table or in a cell.' He shuddered at the thought.

"You should sleep while you can, otherwise you won't have a chance when fighting the akuma."

"Yeah, I guess I will." Allen closed his eyes, and fell into a soundless sleep.

* * *

"Walker, we're here." Link said, shaking the boy gently. Allen got up immediately, knowing the haste needed for this mission. They got out of the car that was parked at the edge of town.

"What are we doing way out here?" Allen asked.

"We need the car to travel back, so I won't risk driving it any closer." Link said.

"I guess that's fine. Let's speed up the pace though. There's an eerie atmosphere coming from the town. "Allen said.

The two walked through town, observing the conditions. The deeper you went in, the more damage you saw. Once in the center, they found ruins. Houses collapsed, concrete smashed, and even casualties in it all. Link frowned at the sight, while Allen scowled, cursing to himself.

"This was the damage after the first hit; we couldn't have done anything for them." Link said. Allen nodded grimly, and continued walking through the rubble. They went to the other side of town, where houses weren't damaged as much, but there weren't any signs of anyone living there. Or so Allen thought, until he noticed something moving near one of the windows. He managed to catch someone watching him behind the window curtains.

"The people of the village are hiding in their homes. That means the akuma must still be near here somewhere." Link said. Allen nodded; they continued walking until they reached the edge of a forest. That's when Allen's eye activated, and akuma appeared, swarming at them like bees. Allen activated his innocence and slashed at the monsters, causing them to explode. Link used his spells to bind them, so it was easier for Allen to hit them. This continued for a few minutes before the two finally destroyed all the akuma in their area.

"Is that all of them?" Link asked.

"No, there's another one." Allen said, voice alarmed. The akuma was different from a level 1 or 2. It looked like a beast in the shape of a human, wearing thick metal armor.

When Allen saw the soul, he felt sick. This akuma's soul was jumbled, contorted in darkness beyond any other akuma he had seen.

"Walker, are you okay? Your face is pale." Link asked.

"Yeah, I-I'm fine. It's just I've never seen such a twisted soul before. Is this what a level 3 looks like?" Allen said. Everyone knew of Allen's ability to see the akuma's soul, and Link was sure that it had never been a pretty sight. But from Allen's description, it seems this akuma was something on a whole other level.

"Are you done chatting? I've been waiting for you exorcists to show up, and my patience has been wearing." the akuma said with a deep, hoarse voice. It shot bullets of energy at them; Allen used his left hand to block out the bullets. He ran to the akuma before jumping, and slashing at it. Not much damage was done, and Allen was swatted away to the ground. He quickly recovered, and started attacking again, but not much was getting done.

"Walker, this won't last long! We still need to find the innocence!" Link shouted.

"Oh, are you talking about this?" The akuma lifted up the small glowing object in his claws; it was definitely the innocence they were looking for. Allen retreated back next to Link.

"We need to get that innocence, but we have to distract him first. I'll be a decoy and take his shots, while you try to take him by surprise. When we get the chance, one of us can grab the innocence from him, then we'll think about how to destroy him." Allen said quickly. Link didn't have much time to think, but he thought was worth a try. He nodded, and watched as Allen confronted the akuma head on. They exchanged blows, though the damage dealt wasn't much to the akuma.

Still, Link waited for a chance, and that came when Allen clawed at the akuma's face. The monster howled in pain, and Allen jumped at this chance to grab the innocence. He was successful in obtaining it, and passed it over to Link. But the akuma wasn't done just yet. He swiped his claws at Allen who dodged away, but did not expect what came next. From the top of the akuma's hand, a violet beam shot out, hitting Allen directly in the chest. The boy fell to the ground, feeling a burning pain run through his body. He screamed as his body shook violently, as if he had been electrified.

"Walker!" Link ran over to him, and noticed that his body had begun to go transparent. That was definitely a bad sign.

"Walker! Walker, you need to get up!" Link shouted. Allen faintly heard his voice, but in his state, there wasn't much he could do. But his job wasn't done. 'I need to kill the akuma. I need to save those souls!' As if responding to Allen's thoughts, his innocence began giving off a bright, green, light that enveloped him. Link had to cover his eyes, and the akuma moved back. When the light had dimmed down enough for him to see, Link found Allen standing. There was a large, white cape flowing down his back and a silver mask over his eyes. His left hand was no longer the large, grey claw. It was black, the fingers becoming sharp blade-like claws.

"Walker?" Link asked, unsure what was going on. 'Has the innocence evolved?' he questioned to himself. Allen turned around, giving Link a small smile before he ran towards the akuma. As he jumped, white strips of the fabric shot forward, piercing the akuma's body. It could no longer move. Allen approached it, raising his left hand. He placed a claw onto the akuma's head and said, "Pitiful akuma, let your soul be saved. (Aware na akuma ni tamashii no kyuusai wo)" In an instant, he slashed his claw down the akuma, and it dissolved into nothing. Link could've sworn he heard the akuma's soul saying, "Thank you."

Allen collapsed to his knees, and the fabirc shrunk, only long enough to go down his back; it stopped glowing as well.

"Walker!?" Link asked, running over to him.

"Fine, though I don't think my body's recovered from being broken down." he said, referring to the akuma's ability. "Thankfully, my innocence seems to be helping a bit." Although Allen was no longer transparent, he was still very pale.

"Let's go. We need to get the innocence back to headquarters."

"Alright." Allen and Link headed back to the village, where they gave the news that the monsters are no longer there; that it was safe for them to come out. The town folk celebrated, thanking the two. They offered for them to stay in the village for a while, but Link said that they needed to get back. The villagers thanked them once more before Link drove away. It was quiet the first few minutes of the drive, but Link wasn't going to wait till they got back to headquarters to start his questioning.

"Walker, what happened with your innocence?" he asked, taking a quick glance towards the boy, who was looking at his left hand. It was no longer red and scaly. Instead, it was pitch black, and it looked smoother.

"I'm not sure, but it's definitely stronger than before. I guess this is its new form. It's going to stay like this, but that's all I know." Allen said. "This is great. I'm glad about the innocence and all, but how the heck am I going to explain how my hand went from scaly red to black?" he mumbled to himself.

"Well, I'll let you figure that out yourself, but the inspector is definitely going to want to examine your change. You're probably going to be checked by Hevlaska before that though." Link said.

"I'll contact Komui to inform him about the mission. He probably wants to know what happened." Allen said.

He took the golem and tried to connect to Komui. At first, it only made scratchy noises, then you could hear the man's voice.

"Hello? Allen, it that you?"

"Yes, it is. Hi Komui, how have you been doing back at headquarters?" Allen said.

"Great! Everything's fine on this end, how about you?"

"We managed to complete the mission. There was a lot of low level akuma, but at the end, we encountered a level 3."

"I see. We'll have to look into that thoroughly. Are you guys okay?" Komui asked, concern showing in his voice.

"Yeah, I was hit, but my innocence somehow reacted. It took on a new form, and I was able to defeat the akuma." Allen said reassuringly.

"A new form? You mean it evolved!? Hevlaska needs to check that. It's possible your synchronization rate went up." Komui said. "But first," he continued, "you need to get some rest. Have Link drop you off at your apartment room, and he'll bring the innocence to me."

"What about Inspector Lvellie?" Allen asked.

"Don't worry. He wouldn't want to do anything with you when you're tired anyway. I'll explain everything to him, with the help of Link, I hope?" Komui said, knowing Link was listening.

"I am only explaining the condition of the mission and Walker. The inspector will be making the final decision." Link said.

"That's enough, thank you. Well, I've got to go. Make sure to rest well Allen." Komui said, his voice soft.

"Thank you. I appreciate it." The golem went back to make scratching sounds until it cut off completely. Allen let himself sink back into the seat, relaxing. He almost fell asleep before Link told him that they had made it. He dropped him off, then drove to the order.

Right as Allen got into his room, he dropped himself onto his bed, ready for sleep. He felt a dull pain but ignored it, already drifting into his dreams.

* * *

 **So...Allen's innocence evolves! It takes on the form he got after he recovered at the Asian Branch. If you haven't noticed, the akuma was based on the level three that infiltrated the Asian Branch (at the same time Allen's innocence became Crowned Clown. I don't know if it'll go by the same name, but we'll see. Anyway, I would like to say thank you for all the readers who follow, favorite, and review. Hope everyone enjoys upcoming chapters. Bye for now!**


	8. Chapter 8

"Hey guys!" Lenalee called to the three boys waiting for her. Lavi smiled as he greeted her.

"Hi, Lenalee, glad you could make it!" It was Saturday, and the four of them liked to hang out together on this day. Lavi would be the one to organize it, picking their meeting place and such. This time, it was the park right next to the markets. Everyone had decided that they wanted to do some shopping, and that was the reason for today's trip.

"Come on. The quicker we get this done, the better." Kanda said with a frown. He usually didn't want to go on these trips. But Alma ended up dragging him there anyway. It was the usual routine by now.

"Kanda, you're here already, so just enjoy it." Alma said with a smile. Kanda grunted, but stopped trying to leave.

"Hey, what do you think of inviting Arron to come with us?" Lenalee suggested.

"Yeah, that'd be great!" Alma agreed.

"I actually tried calling him last night, but he didn't answer. I thought he was probably asleep, so I left him. But if you want, I can try to talk to him now." Lavi said. He took his phone out of his pockets and made the call.

When it finally made through, Lavi said, "Hey, Arron. How's-"

" _Is that_ _Lavi? This is Link."_ Lavi heard.

"Link? Why do you have Arron's phone?" The other three friends looked at Lavi, confused.

" _I don't have time to explain everything, but Allen's in really bad shape right now. He battled a level 3 akuma and got injured. Something is happening as a side effect to the wound. He's in no shape to move, so I can't take him to the order."_ Link told him.

"Okay, I'll get gramps to go over to check him out; he's skilled in that field. Can you give me the address?" Lavi asked. Link told him, and due to his Bookman skills, it was easy for Lavi to remember it.

"Alright, thanks. We'll be right there." He ended the call and began making another.

"What's going on?" Alma asked, getting scared.

"Arron's sick in bed. Link doesn't think it's a good idea to move him. I'm having gramps take us there now to check on him." he said as Bookman picked up. "Hey gramps. I need your help. A friend of mine is in bad condition, and we need you to check on him." Lavi pretended he was pacing, but he was actually giving more distance between him and friends so they wouldn't hear the next few lines. "It's that new kid from the order. Something about getting injured from a level 3 akuma. Link, his observer, said it was pretty bad. I have the address, so can you drive us there?" Lavi explained.

" _Alright, I'm already getting to the car. You're at the park, right? Are you planning to take those friends with you?"_ Bookman asked.

"No choice, they're friends with him at school, and I already told them his condition. They'll come even if you don't let them." Lavi responded.

" _That's why you're an idiot. Oh well, I'm driving to you now; should be there in a few minutes."_

"Thanks gramps." he said before hanging up. "He'll pick us up in a few minutes."

"Is Arron going to be okay? How did he end up in such a condition?" Lenalee asked, very worried.

"I don't know the details, but Link said he didn't want to move Arron anywhere or it might affect him." Lavi said.

After a while, there was a sudden beep from a car approaching them. All four friends rushed into the car as soon as it stopped. Lavi told Bookman the address, and they drove to an apartment building. Allen's room was on the second floor, and they were knocking on the door in a few seconds. Link swung the door open, and seemed to relax a little after seeing Bookman. But seeing that there were more 'guests' made him tense up again.

"What are these kids doing here?" Link asked.

"We're worried about Arron, what else?" Alma replied, frowning at the man's displeasure.

"Well, none of you are seeing _Arron_ while he is being treated by Bookman, so you're going to sit in the living room and wait quietly." Link commanded sternly. He turned and walked into the room, the group following him.

"Wait, what about me?" Lavi asked as they reached the living room.

"You're coming whether you want to or not." Bookman said. This didn't make the others too happy.

"Why is it only him?" Kanda asked, obviously suspicious.

"Yeah, we want to see Arron too!" Alma protested.

"Lavi is just there to help me with some procedures; once he's done, he'll be thrown out with the rest of you." Bookman said, not accepting any more arguments. No one was happy with the arrangement, but they complied. Bookman and Lavi followed Link to another room -probably Arron's- and closed the door behind them. Allen was lying on a bed, face so pale it almost looks as white as his hair. His breathing was ragged and uneven; he was sweating a lot as well.

"What happened to put him into this condition? You said something about a mission?" Lavi asked.

"Yeah, right after Walker-"

"Call him Arron here. Can't be sure if anyone's listening." Lavi said quietly, pointing a thumb to the door.

Link lowered his voice so it was just above a whisper. "Arron and I headed to the city of Avrita, where an akuma that could destroy the molecular structure of an object was destroying towns." Link started before Lavi interrupted.

"It could do what!?" he yelled a little too loud.

"Quiet you idiot. Let the man finish." Bookman said. He would have smacked the boy had he not been examining Allen. Link continued his story, telling about what happened during the mission.

"Arron was tired when we got back, maybe due to the injury, but Komui allowed him to rest for the night while I reported the mission. Everything was fine until I found him this morning, in this state." Link finished.

"There is no need to worry about the akuma's ability. The boy's body has already collected itself and is functioning properly. But that's what's causing his energy to drain. It must have been his innocence that healed the boy overnight. The stress brought a high fever. It will take him a while to recover, but he should be fine as long as his fever goes down." Bookman said. Lavi sighed in relief.

"You can get out now." the old man said, looking to his apprentice.

"What?" Lavi questioned.

"I said get out!" Bookman said as he opened the door, grabbed Lavi by the collar, and threw him out. Lenalee, Alma and Kanda witnessed this. Lenalee and Alma seemed worried, but Kanda was smirking.

"He really did throw you out." he said.

"What, you didn't think he was serious?" Lavi said as he stood up, rubbing his back like an old man. "That old panda is always serious."

"How's Arron?" Lenalee asked.

"Don't worry. Seems like he was really tired. The stress on his body broke into a high fever. Gramps says he should get better as long as he rests to get the fever down." Lavi said with a reassuring smile.

"Thank goodness!" Lenalee said.

"I hope he gets better soon." Alma added.

"Giving us so much trouble." Kanda grumbled. But anyone who knew him could tell that he was relieved.

The four chatted a bit before the door to Arron's room opened again, and the two men came out. Bookman seemed to be thinking about something, and Lavi noticed.

"Hey, old panda, what're you-" Bookman whacked Lavi in the back of the head. "Don't call me panda!" Lavi was now rubbing the back of his head, hissing as he did so.

"As for what you were about to ask, I was thinking of who could stay here to look after the boy. He lives alone, and his condition could get worse."

"Can't Link do that?" Alma asked.

"I have work to attend to. And I can't ask anyone else from there because they wouldn't be much help with a sick boy." Link said.

"Do any of you live alone?" Bookman asked. All eyes went to Kanda.

"You want me to look after him!? No way am I wasting my time for something like that!" Kanda exclaimed. He was definitely not happy about it.

"Please, Kanda? I don't want anything to happen to Arron, and we can only rely on you." Lenalee said.

"No." he replied bluntly.

"Kanda!" Alma pleaded.

"Come on, Kanda. It's the weekend. It wouldn't hurt to watch him a night or two, would it?" Lavi said. They were all looking at him with pleading looks in their eyes. It was quite annoying for Kanda, but he just sighed, giving up. These people were too stubborn.

"Now that that's decided, would you like to see your friend?" Bookman asked, opening the door to show they had permission. Everyone made their way into the room, Kanda being last.

Whatever Bookman did while Lavi was out of the room helped a lot. Allen's breathing had steadied, and his face seemed to relax. He was still pale and sweating though.

Lenalee went to one side of the bed while Alma went to the other. Lavi stood against the wall next to the door. Kanda was standing behind Alma, looking down at the boy in bed. Lenalee reached out to hold Arron's hand, and it twitched, almost pulling away.

"He's still a bit sensitive at the moment, so try not to make too much contact." Bookman said, noticing. Lenalee nodded sadly.

"Just standing here won't do anything. We should go." Kanda said.

"I want to stay a bit longer." Lenalee said. Alma said the same thing, so the two were left in the room with Arron. Bookman left, telling Lavi to be back before the end of the afternoon. Link also took his leave, so Kanda and Lavi sat in the living room in an awkward silence. But Kanda soon broke it.

"That fever isn't just because of some stress, is it?" Kanda asked.

Lavi shook his head. "He was at a job last night." he said, confirming Kanda's suspicions. "It got a little more dangerous than normal."

"Is that why you yelled in there?" Kanda asked.

"Oh, you heard that. Oops. But yeah, I was a bit surprised by the circumstances. Can't tell you much more." Lavi said.

Kanda sighed. "You remember the deal we made?"

"The one question? Yeah, do you have it?"

"No. I have a question that I don't want answered. I just want to see how related it is to Arron. Would I still get my question after that?" Kanda explained.

"Yeah, go ahead."

"What is the connection between Arron Wright and Allen Walker?" Lavi's eyes widened; he couldn't hold back his surprise.

"Wow, you really hit a sensitive spot; a very sensitive topic for Arron, actually. That's something you shouldn't pry into just yet." Lavi said. Kanda was tempted to try and force everything out of Lavi, but knowing the guy, it wouldn't help much. So he just nodded.

Suddenly, Alma and Lenalee walked out of Allen's room, closing the door softly behind them. They joined the other two in the living room.

"How's Arron doing?" Lavi asked.

"He's sleeping peacefully." Alma said.

"I'm glad that he finally could. I talked with him, and he said he hadn't slept because he's been busy unpacking and taking care of other things. He just moved here after all." Lenalee said with a small smile.

"We've only known him for a week, but I like him. I want to be good friends with him." Alma said.

"Aren't we already?" Lavi asked.

"With how much you stick around together, it'd be more surprising if you weren't. " Kanda said. The other three looked at him before smiling.

"Does that include you too, Kanda?" Alma asked. Kanda simply grunted. The rest of them took that as a yes.

"You guys should be going home now." Lavi said to Lenalee and Alma. The two nodded, getting up.

"We'll come back to visit tomorrow." Lenalee said, Alma agreeing.

"You can make it home from here?" Kanda asked.

"Oh yeah. Since this place is close to our neighborhood, I shouldn't have a problem." Alma said. "But Lenalee's house is a bit far. I could just ask my parents to drive her home."

"Thank you, that works fine."

"Alright, see you guys tomorrow." Now Kanda and Lavi were back to their original conversation.

"I have my question." Kanda said bluntly.

"Oh, you just got it?" Lavi asked. The other boy nodded.

"Whenever you're ready." Lavi said. Kanda snorted at that, but continued nonetheless. "Why is Arron being observed?"

"Simple enough. But you're going to have to have an open mind for this, because it's a bit hard to imagine. But everything I'll tell you is the truth, whether you believe it or not." Lavi paused for any arguments, but there were none, so he continued.

"Okay, so Arron is what the people he works for like to call, 'cursed'. Because of an incident in the past, he can see a lot more than a normal person, and his superiors want to use him for that. But they also think the curse has a chance of acting up, making Arron commit some kind of treason against them, so they decided to keep him under watch. The only time he can really relax is at school, even though he's still being kept within their reach. I heard he requested to go to school. He wanted at least one part of his life to be normal, I guess." Lavi finished with a shrug.

"Hmm." Kanda said, thinking. It was vague, but it brought some things together. Now Kanda was curious why killing his father _wasn't_ the reason Allen was being observed. Did he even kill his father in the first place? Ugh, there was just too much. He decided to leave it aside for another time.

Now they were wondered where Kanda was going to sleep, which turned out to be the couch. Lavi went to Arron's bedroom and found a light blanket for him to use. Then they talked about random things before Lavi looked at a clock. He bolted up immediately.

"Oh gosh. Is it that time already? The old panda's going to kill me. I need to go, Yuu. I trust you to take care of Arron." Lavi said, running away before Kanda could grab him.

"Don't call me that!" Kanda shouted at him, even though the redhead was long gone by now. He just sighed, and fell back into the couch. 'Guess I should just get comfortable then.' Kanda thought to himself.

Then he realized that he hadn't eaten anything since breakfast. Kanda went to the kitchen and opened the fridge, and luckily it had plenty of food. He decided to just snack on an apple. It was enough for now. Kanda could wait for Arron took wake up to eat anything else.

Again, he settled himself onto the couch, taking a bite into the fruit.

* * *

 **Aww, I wrote less than last time. I thought I should be making them longer, or at least consistent, but I just do everything more by gut feeling than actually thinking, so oh well. But yeah, in the end, that's what my question turned out to be, even though the information is small. Anyway, hop you like it, R &R, and see you next time!**


	9. Chapter 9

**I have officially reached over 1,000 views! I am happy to know that there have been this many, and glad to those who have supported this story with reviews, follows, or favorites, so thank you! This chapter is about twice as long as I usually write, so I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

Kanda woke up with a jolt. He could've sworn he had just heard someone screaming. Whether he had dreamed it or not, it left him startled. When he finally settled his thoughts, he heard a muffled voice coming from Arron's room. 'Did he wake up?' Kanda asked himself. He got off the couch, and walked to the door of the room. He opened it halfway, finding Arron sitting up in the bed, breathing heavily. He ran a hand through his hair, and cringed, as if he remembered something bad. When Kanda looked long enough, he noticed the tears falling down the boy's face. Kanda assumed that it was a nightmare or something of the sort.

"Mana." Arron mumbled. There was that name again. Kanda could've sworn he'd heard it somewhere, but he couldn't remember where.

But Arron kept talking. "This time, Kanda and Alma, too." he said. This surprised Kanda; had the boy been dreaming about him and Alma?

Arron wiped his tears, and none replaced them. He took off the covers and pulled his feet over the edge of the bed. Slowly, the boy tried to stand, but after a few seconds, he fell on his knees as his feet gave out. This worried Kanda, thinking there was something wrong. He walked over to Arron, kneeling beside him. That's when Arron finally noticed him.

"K-Kanda!?" he questioned. He even rubbed his eyes to make sure he wasn't still half asleep. "What are you doing in my room?"

"Calm down. You were sick, and we came to visit. Since you live by yourself, someone had to make sure you didn't get worse, and that just so happens to be me." Kanda said, the last part, not too happily.

"O-oh, okay. By 'we' you mean Lavi, Alma, and Lenalee, right?" Arron asked. Kanda simply nodded. Arron tried to get up a second time, but his feet gave out again. But this time, Kanda caught him half standing.

"Hey, you okay?" he asked. Arron was frowning, but he nodded.

"Yeah, I just think my legs have gone a bit numb. But they'll probably get back to normal with time, hopefully before school starts again. Can you help me back on the bed though?" Arron said. Kanda didn't complain and set the boy onto the bed.

"You saw me, didn't you?" he asked.

"Saw you what?"

"Crying." Arron replied. He had his head down, his face red. Kanda sighed, moving to sit on the floor with his back leaning against the bed.

"Did you have a nightmare?" he asked, looking up at Arron. The boy nodded. Kanda was curious, but he wasn't going to push the boy further if he wasn't going to choose to talk himself. He could hear him taking in a shaky breath before talking.

"When I was little, my father and I lived together." Arron began, not adding the fact that Mana was his foster father. "We traveled a lot, going all over the place. But we never stayed long at one location. It was as if we were running away from something, but I never knew what; until we got to London. There was an ambush, and by protecting me, my father died." Arron said. His voice had gone lower and lower until it faded away. Kanda remembered him talking about how he killed his father. Was Arron just blaming himself because he was being protected, or was there more to it?

He hadn't specified who ambushed them, so Kanda tried to ask. "You were ambushed by who?" Arron shifted in his bed, and rubbed his leg uncomfortably. It took a while, but he eventually answered.

"The monsters I mentioned that day at lunch. They killed him right in front of me, and there was nothing I could do." Arron's voice was strained, and tears fell once again. At this point, he didn't care whether Kanda believed him or not. He put his head in his hands, and tried to calm himself down. Kanda simply waited for him. He didn't know how to give him comfort, so he stopped his questions until Arron stopped crying.

"Why did you say Alma's and my name?" he asked.

"My nightmares always end up repeating my father's death, or with someone I know dying the same way. This time it was the two of you." Arron replied. Kanda snorted, which surprised the other boy.

"Like I'm going to die that easily. And I'm definitely not letting Alma die either." Kanda declared. Arron smiled lightly. 'He hasn't changed.' he thought to himself.

"Yeah, you're right." Arron once again tried to stand and lasted longer this time, but still couldn't stay up. He fell back onto the bed, so Kanda didn't have to catch him.

"Ah, my legs are so useless. I can barely get up now. How am I supposed to get breakfast?" Arron said with slight frustration.

"What do you want?" Kanda asked him.

"What?"

"What do you want to eat?"

"Oh. Um, cereal is fine. The box is in the cabinet to the left of the fridge. There should still be some milk, too." Arron said. Kanda nodded and walked to the door.

"You can get something to eat too." Arron called to him. He got cereal for the both of them, and they ate in Arron's room. That was when Kanda noticed Arron's arm. At first it was dark, and he didn't pay attention to it, but now it was easily seen as the boy was eating.

"What happened to your arm?"

"Ah, that. Well, I guess it was too hopeful to wish that no one would notice." Arron mumbled to himself. "It's hard to explain right now, but it's nothing bad."

'Right now? So he plans on telling us eventually?' Kanda thought to himself. It somehow made him feel the slightest bit content.

"I wonder what I should do when I go to school. I could wear gloves, but that would attract too much attention. Might as well just leave it. No one bothered me with it before anyway." Arron was mostly talking to himself, but it was loud enough that Kanda could hear it clearly.

They finished up their breakfast, and sat silently after that. This was a great bother to Arron. He wasn't the type to sit still.

"I'm bored. Why aren't my stupid legs working!?" he exclaimed. "I'd be outside by now working or doing something, but now I can't even get out of my own room!" Kanda was getting irritated. He liked the quiet just fine, and Arron's yelling was giving him a headache.

"Will you quiet down!? How can you be this noisy so early in the morning?"

"I have too much energy. I can't help it." Arron pouted playfully.

"Lavi, Lenalee, and Alma said they would come visit you today, so wait until then?" Kanda said. This seemed to cheer the other boy up, so he complied and kept quiet.

It was about an hour before the doorbell rang. Arron looked up from the book he had decided to read, but couldn't move from the bed. Kanda went to answer the door, and found all three friends waiting.

"Hey, Yuu! How's our buddy doing?" Lavi asked. Kanda didn't hesitate to smack the boy on the head.

"Don't call me that!" he said angrily.

"Hi, Kanda. Sorry about him. Is Arron still asleep?" Lenalee asked.

"He's been awake for a few hours now. Has too much energy for someone who can't move." Kanda replied. This made the trio worried.

"What do you mean, he can't move?" Alma asked. Kanda motioned for them to come inside, closing the door behind them. He led them to Arron's room, where they found him sitting in the bed. When the boy noticed them, he smiled.

"You're finally here! I've been bored to death sitting in this bed the whole day."

"Hi Arron. Are you okay?" Lenalee asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine now." Arron said with a smile.

"But Kanda said you couldn't move. What did he mean by that?" Alma asked.

"Oh, that. It's nothing really. My legs have gone a bit numb, so I can't stand on them for long. But like I told him, they'll probably be back to normal by the time school starts again." he explained.

"Are you sure about that? Do you want me to check you?" Lavi asked. "I learned a few things from gramps. And if there's a problem, we can have him look at you again."

"So it was Bookman who looked at me." Arron said. "That's fine, but can the rest of you wait outside?" Arron asked. He had some things he wanted to talk about with Lavi. The others didn't argue, and the two were left alone.

"So, are your legs really alright?" Lavi asked, even as he checked them.

"Yeah, they're fine. I mean, as fine as they could be after I got hit by the akuma's ability. It's not surprising that they're this way." Arron replied.

"But gramps said that your body should be functioning properly." Lavi said.

"They work," Arron said as he demonstrated by moving his legs around slowly. "It's just that I need to get used to balancing on them again. And I can use my innocence's help to heal them up." Arron said. "But I don't want to use it while they're around."

"Okay, I guess there's no need for gramps to come for now." Lavi decided.

"Yeah, you can call the others back now." Arron said.

Lavi smiled mischievously, making Arron nervous. "Lavi, what are you thinking?" he asked cautiously.

"I have a better idea."

* * *

"You think Arron's okay?" Alma asked.

"He's fine. He was making a racket all morning about being bored, giving me a headache." Kanda said. Lenalee smiled.

"Thanks for taking care of him, Kanda." she told him. He simply grunted in reply, as if to say 'whatever'.

"It's only been a week, but we've already gotten pretty close. It feels like we've always been together." Alma said.

"Yeah, Arron's already our best friend!" Lenalee said.

"No, Lavi, what are you doing? Stop!" Arron's voice could be heard from the room. The three gave puzzled looks at the door, wondering what was going on in there.

"Put me down you idiot!" They heard before the door burst open. Lavi was carrying Arron in his arms, while the boy protested.

"Arron, stop moving or I'm going to drop you." Lavi said.

"That's what I want you to do. Now let go of me!" Arron shouted. The three watched in amusement as Lavi brought Arron over and dropped him on the couch next to Lenalee.

"There, that wasn't so hard. You're actually pretty light." Lavi said, satisfied with his work. Arron glared at him angrily.

"I hate you." He growled. Lenalee and Alma laughed, and Kanda smirked. Arron's face turned bright red.

"I guess that shows you're fine." Alma said.

"That's what I told you. You worry too much." Arron replied. The room went silent; no one knew what to talk about.

"What do you usually do during weekends, Arron?" Lenalee asked, trying to start a conversation.

"I was planning to take a look around the neighborhood and maybe go shopping, but I guess that won't work." Arron said. He still remembered when he used to live here five years ago, and he wanted to take a look around the familiar place.

"I could carry you around as we go." Lavi suggested. Before Arron could protest, Lenalee spoke up. "Yeah, let's do it! It'll be fun."

"You're going to have to carry me around all day. That couldn't be fun." Arron said.

"It's fine. Like I said, you're light." Lavi said. 'They aren't letting me out of this one, are they?' Arron thought. He noticed Kanda standing to leave, obviously trying to avoid going with them.

"Yuu, where are you going? You'll be coming too." Lavi said.

"Don't call me that! And no, I won't be coming. I'm going home to take a shower. I've been in these clothes since yesterday." Kanda said.

"Not a problem," Alma said. "We brought you a pair of your clothes with us." He held up a small bag.

"You went into my house!?" Kanda asked.

"I always do. I don't see a problem." Alma said.

"I said I need to take a shower."

"You can always use Arron's. You don't mind, right?" Lenalee said, looking over to the other boy.

"Nope, not at all." Arron said with a smile. If he was stuck doing this, there was no way he would let Kanda get away on his own. Kanda glared at them all, snatched the bag from Alma, and headed to the bathroom.

"I need to change too." Arron said as he tried to get up, not lasting long.

"Hey, take it easy, buddy. Let me help you." Lavi said. He didn't carry him this time, just let the boy lean against him for support. When they got to the room, Arron said he didn't need help changing, so Lavi stood by the door and waited.

When Arron was done, he opened the door and let Lavi help him again, making it back to the living room.

Soon, everyone was at the door, ready to go.

"So, we'll be walking the whole way?" Kanda asked.

"Yeah, I guess. It shouldn't be that bad. Can you hold up, Lavi?" Lenalee asked. He was already carrying Arron on his back.

"There shouldn't be a need for that, actually." Arron interrupted.

"What do you mean?" Alma asked.

"You'll see when we get outside." And sure enough, there was a car outside. Ray was sitting in the driver's seat, watching them coming down.

"Is there a time when they're not around?" Kanda asked. Arron simply shrugged. Ray was out of the car when they got to the bottom. He raised an eyebrow at Lavi, who was carrying Arron.

"Have you heard anything from Link?" Ray simply nodded.

"Well yeah, this is simply the outcome of that. Nothing to worry about really." Arron told him. Before Ray could say anything else, he added, "I'll get myself checked once we get back. Then there shouldn't be a problem, right?"

"Are you going to walk around like that all day?" Ray asked, looking at Lavi.

"I wouldn't mind." Lavi replied.

"Why don't you get a wheelchair?"

"It's not going to last long. It would be a waste." Arron said.

"Get in the car. We're getting one. I'm not going to be the one carrying you when you meet Lvellie." Ray said. Arron flinched at the name slightly, but nodded. The others seemed to notice, but they didn't comment, seeing as it was something personal.

"Fine. I didn't want to be carried anyway." Lavi helped Arron get into the passenger seat, and then joined the rest of them in the back. They drove to the market, and bought the wheelchair. Ray showed the cashier a card, saying to put it on a tab. It was used for exorcists when they were out on missions, and the order would pay for them.

They helped Arron get settled into the chair, thanking Ray for the help. The man made sure to remind Arron to be done before 3:00. It was around 11:00, so they had a few hours. Ray left them to explore on their own, though Lavi and Arron both knew that he was still around; it was his job after all.

"Where do you want to go first?" Lenalee asked, almost jumping with excitement.

"Everyone's had breakfast, right?" Lavi asked, looking at them one by one. When no one disagreed, he continued, "So we don't have to worry about food until later. I think we should show Arron around first, then do any shopping afterwards so we don't have to carry everything all day."

"Great! Now that we know, let's get going!"

* * *

Lavi was still responsible for Allen, pushing the wheelchair for him as they went around neighborhoods, the park, and the markets. Allen mostly bought home utensils and new clothes; Lenalee also bought some outfits for herself.

Lavi was playing around, suggesting random items that Allen always declined. He also pushed the wheelchair around the stores as fast as he could, almost ramming into people, shelves, and products. And they did end up crashing into another cart. The owner of the cart mostly reprimanded Lavi, because he could've caused "the poor boy" (Allen) harm. Allen was quite amused with this, and simply smirked at Lavi the whole time.

As for Kanda, he bought chemical cleaning material for his sword (Allen had just found out that Kanda owned one named 'Mugen', and was very skilled at using it).

By the time they finished, everyone was hungry, so they headed to the closest cafe for lunch. As usual, Allen ordered a large helping of food, along with dessert. The others watched in awe as he gulped it down continuously.

"You sure can eat a lot." Alma said.

"How are you so small, and still eat so much food? Where does it all go?" Kanda questioned. The tone of disgust in his voice wasn't hidden.

"I envy your metabolism, Arronn! I wish I could eat that much without getting fat. Then I can enjoy all the foods I want." Lenalee said.

"Can we talk about something other than my appetite?" Allen asked, face going red.

"Aww, Allen is embarrassed." Lavi teased. Allen glared at him; he took a glass of water, and before Lavi knew it, his head was soaked. His hair fell down from its usually spiky style, draping flatly down his head.

"Arron, what was that for? My hair is ruined!" Lavi pouted. Everyone broke into a contagious laughter.

"You deserved it." Kanda said with a smirk.

"Excuse me," Alma called for a waitress. "Can we get some napkins?" The waitress noticed Lavi's soaked condition, and raised an eyebrow in question.

"There was a small accident." Allen said with a smile. The waitress simply nodded before walking away.

"An accident? Oh really now? So I can take my glass of water," Lavi said as he picked it up. Allen knew what was coming. He grabbed a menu from the table, putting it in front of his face as Lavi poured the water towards him. Only Allen's hands got wet, but the menu wasn't spared. It was soggy, dripping water on the table. The water must have bounced off a bit because Lenalee got splashed on her face. She did not look happy.

But that was nothing compared to the waitress's reaction. When she came back with napkins, she frown as she noticed the menu and the wet table. She handed us the bill, telling us to pay just before we were kicked out.

"What were you guys _thinking_!?" Lenalee shouted, releasing the bottled up anger she held at the cafe. "We'll probably never be allowed to go in there again!"

"Allen started it." Lavi protested.

"Weren't you the one who started it by making fun of me?" the other boy replied.

"You guys aren't kindergarteners, so stop sounding like them." Alma said. Kanda snorted. Lenalee checked the time on her phone.

"Arron, it's 2:47. Don't you need to be going?" she asked.

"Yeah, I'll go ahead and start going back. It was fun hanging out with you guys." Allen said.

"I still have to help you, remember? So you guys go on. I'll send him off." Lavi said. He was really planning to go to the order with Allen.

"See you guys on Monday!" Allen said. The two groups waved to each other before going separate ways. Lavi pushed the wheelchair slowly through the streets, a calm silence settling over them. Lavi looked at Allen to find him staring at their reflection from a glass window. He noticed that the boy's eyes held great sadness in them. Lavi continued walking though.

"What are you thinking about?" he asked.

"I don't think the innocence stopped the process when I was being made into an akuma." Allen said bluntly. He seemed to be thinking out loud rather than answering the question. He continued looking at the window till they passed the shop.

"What makes you say that?" Lavi asked. The other boy stayed silent. When he looked up, Allen's face showed that he didn't trust Lavi to keep a secret. At least that's how Lavi interpreted it.

"Loosen up. Don't worry. I'll make sure no one knows about it but gramps. I'm just trying to gather information like usual. That's a Bookman's job after all." Allen sighed and nodded slowly.

"When I see akuma's souls, they have different forms depending on their level. Level ones are as if you are looking at a person's ghost; they keep their appearance from when they were human, but they have chains on them. A level two is like a rotten mummy, enveloped by a dark aura. And a level three, the worst I've seen so far, is contorted with the dark aura itself." Allen explained, stopping to let it sink in.

"One of my missions had me seeing illusions of what happened in the past with Mana. I don't know if that's the reason why, but ever since, I've been able to see a soul hovering over me. More than a soul though; it looks just like the skeletal body that I forced him into when the Millennium Earl revived him. He's been trapped in that form inside me for all these years. I've told myself that I'd save the souls of akuma, but there's a soul right here that I can do nothing about." Allen said. He didn't know why he said all this to Lavi. Maybe it's because he was a Bookman, or maybe because he was the closest person to understanding him. But he always ended up talking to him.

Lavi looked down at the boy, having a slight feeling of pity for him. He didn't let it show, of course, but there was just so much burden on a single fifteen year old boy, that he couldn't help but feel that way.

"Hey, if he's in there, and you still have control over your body, it could mean that there's a purpose behind it. Whether it's good or bad, no one knows, but I think you can figure it out." Lavi reassured him with the big smile he always wore. Allen smiled back as well.

"Now, we should get going before Lvellie decides to cut off my head." he said.

"Don't his words have enough effect to do that? Lavi asked. The two burst into laughter.

"Don't let the CROWS hear you, or you wouldn't live another second before they slice you for insulting him." Allen said through laughs.

"I know, no worries. They won't hear a thing."

"Who won't hear what?" Lavi jumped out of his skin as the familiar voice came from a figure looming behind them. They turned around to see Ray, and Lavi let out a soft, very unmanly, squeal.

"What are you doing?" Ray asked. "We need to get going or we'll be late." The two boys nodded, glad that Ray hadn't heard anything. They went to his car, and Lavi helped Allen to his seat in the front. When Lavi settled himself in the back, they drove off, heading to headquarters.


	10. Chapter 10

**Sorry for being late! I was a bit busy with some things, but here I am! I would like to apologize for a mistake I made last chapter. If you guys noticed, I had Lavi call Arron, 'Allen' in front of the others, and that was not intended. It should be Arron, so sorry for the confusion it may have caused.**

* * *

"Welcome back, Allen. How are you doing?" Komui asked, standing behind his desk. He was drinking coffee from his blue mug with a rabbit on it. As usual, the office was messy, with papers stacked here and there, and some of them just thrown in dirty piles.

"I'm doing quite fine," Allen answered. "Despite my looks." he added. Saying he was alright while in a wheelchair wasn't very convincing, proof being the doubt showing on Komui's face.

"As we discussed through the golems, my innocence took a new form, and I need it checked by Hevlaska." Allen said.

"Yes, Link gave me the whole story. But he didn't mention your condition. Care to explain?" the supervisor questioned.

"Yes. You know the akuma's ability to destroy molecular structure, and I was shot by that. My innocence changed, but Bookman, according to Lavi, said that my body was stressed because of strain of the new innocence healing my body's structure. My body functions perfectly, but my legs have gone numb. It shouldn't take long for them to work again." Allen explained. Komui nodded. He placed his mug onto the desk, and walked over to take a look himself.

"And," Allen activated his innocence, and let the fabric wrap around his legs. Once they were in place, he stood up on his own. "with the innocence activated, it heals it faster, and I'm able to walk just fine."

"So this is your new innocence. Even your arm changed, I see. Have there been any troubles using it?" Komui asked. Allen simply shook his head.

"Okay, let's go ahead and get Hevlaska to check it out. You can deactivate it now."

"Actually, I was planning to keep it on. Now that I don't need to keep my innocence away, I want to walk around a bit. Being in a chair all day is boring."

"No." Komui said firmly, a serious expression on his face.

"Why? I'm fine Komui. I don't need the wheelchair!" Allen protested.

"I will absolutely not have it. You will stay in that chair until you can stand without your innocence. What would you do if that just caused even more stress? I don't need a crippled exorcist. You need to take care of yourself. Or do you want to be sent to the infirmary?" Komui said in a threatening tone. This made the boy go silent. He deactivated his innocence, dropping himself back on the wheelchair, huffing in irritation.

"Aww, don't worry. You said it yourself, it's only for a day or two, right? You can wait until then." Lavi said, smiling.

"Whatever." Allen said with a sigh.

"Now, let's go. We've kept Hevlaska waiting enough. Along with an impatient inspector." Komui said, going back to his usual cheerful self. Allen groaned. He was not in the mood to see someone like Lvellie. 'This is going to be _great_.' he thought sarcastically.

They eventually made it down to where Hevlaska was located. As Komui had said, Lvellie was there, Link behind him. To the far right, Bookman was standing, and Lavi went to join him.

"Do you have a reason for the delay? You should have been here five minutes ago." Lvellie said, eyes glaring from Komui to Allen. Link didn't seem surprised; Ray had probably told Inspector Lvellie, and he must have heard.

"Sorry, there was a need for a few explanations before we came. Now that we're here, let's get started. If you would please, Hevlaska." Komui said. Hevlaska's great tentacles came down to wrap around Allen, picking him up. She places her forehead against his face, and began counting.

"2%, 16%, 35%, 60%, 74%, 87%, 91%. Your synchronization rate is at 91%. In the darkness of the war, you shall become the destroyer of time." Hevlaska said before setting him down. Everyone was intrigued by her prophecy. Lavi and Bookman were mumbling back and forth to each other, Komui seemed to be in deep thought, and Lvellie was giving Allen a glare as if he had just been named a traitor. Or maybe that's just how he always looked.

"Well that was interesting, though I don't know what it means. Hevlaska's prophecies are usually correct. Now that we're done, if you would come with me to the Science department to run a few tests." Komui said.

Link took Lavi's place in helping Allen because the Bookman and he had work to do. After they left, Link followed Komui into the elevator and wait till it got to the top.

They walked through the hallways of the order, and finally stopped after taking a turn to a certain hallway. It had a door with a large window next to it, showing you the inside of the room. In front of the window, there was a long table with computers and monitors. Behind the glass, the room held a table covered by a white cloth. Surrounding that was other medical technology, along with a tangle of wires.

Reever, one of the scientists, helped Allen onto the table and hooked up, putting a few wires onto Allen's left arm. Once he turned the machines on, he left the room to join Komui and Link outside. Five minutes passed before they finished collecting data.

Allen and Link left the two scientists to examine the data, and went to the training room at Allen's request. He could train because of Komui, so he decided to at least learn more about the new form.

He activated his innocence, and used his thoughts to bring the fabric in front of him. It was glowing white, making the silver mask at the top, with markings and designs engraved in it, glimmer. As Allen looked at his innocence, he thought it looked alive; like it could move on its own.

Allen moved it around to see how he could control it. After a while, he let the cape settle over his shoulder and began examining his arm. It was still as black as it was without the activation. His fingers had become sharp blades that extended as long as his arm. Although he lost the abilities his other arm could use, Allen could feel that this form was a lot more powerful; very convenient as well.

Suddenly, a loud rumbling sound filled the room. Link looked at Allen, brows raised in question.

"Sorry, I guess I'm getting hungry." the boy said. "Can we go to the cafeteria?" Link nodded. He must've been hungry too, since he couldn't leave Allen's side as an observer. When they got to the cafeteria, Allen ordered large amounts of food as usual, and Link got cake and other pastries that Allen didn't bother asking about. Jerry, the chef, was always happy having people who enjoyed his food.

The two found empty seats, and began eating. No one talked until Allen finished eating, which didn't take long.

"Do I have to meet with Lvellie after this? You'd think he'd be questioning me right now." Allen said.

"Right now, he needs to see the data before anything. Once he looks at the results, he'll decide what to do." Link replied

"At least with my new form of innocence, we can do missions around in this area more." he said.

"How so?" Link asked.

"I avoided going on missions around this area because my identity would found out as soon as the newspapers hit. But now I can use my mask to stay unknown even if they see me." Allen explained.

"What are you, some kind of thief? To use your innocence like that-" Link ranted continuously about the purpose of innocence and the responsibility we have as people granted with such power. Allen zoned his voice out, listening to anything else.

"Are you listening, Walker?"

"With the help of the mask, I'll stop asking for missions so far away, and we don't have to move around so much. You can't complain to that, can you?" Link mumbled something to himself, but he seemed convinced.

Allen stretched out his hands into the air. "Can we get back home now? I want to get some sleep." he said through a yawn. The CROW nodded, gathering the empty plates and took them to be cleaned. Then he went back to roll the wheelchair out of the cafeteria.

They left through the same way they came in: the underground canal. When they had first came here with Lavi, he hadn't bothered telling Allen that there was such a way in. He found out about it when he left the same day.

Link helped the boy into the car before going in himself. He started the car, driving down the path in the forest. Allen slept through half of the trip. When he woke up, he turned on the radio. He flipped through music, weather forecast, and other things before stopping at the news report.

" _...citizens of all ages going missing, mostly during the night. Rumors have named 'floating machine monsters' to be the culprits behind these incidents. While no one knows what these things are and where they came from, there have been many witnesses of the damage done not only in this city, but also around the continent. It is suggested that you avoid leaving your homes during the night. Thank you."_

"The akuma have been increasing lately. What is the Earl planning? Is he making his move?" Allen said, talking to himself with a frown.

When he first saw his new innocence, he had come up with an idea. To avoid people becoming victims of the akuma during the night, he would patrol the city to stop any attempted attacks. And hearing the report now convinced him more to do this.

Of course, he didn't tell neither Komui nor Link. Komui would definitely refuse to allow him to do it, more so with his current physical state. If he told Link, Inspector Lvellie would refuse, thinking that Allen was planning something. There may be consequences of him going out without permission, but he'd just say he felt akuma, and it'd be solved. And he wasn't going to delay his plans; he was starting tonight.

Allen woke up to the ringing of his phone. He had set an alarm to wake himself at 8:00p.m. He was able to get a few hours of sleep, and still get up in the early night. He pushed his legs over the bedside, and activated his innocence. He repeated the process he had done at Komui's office, wrapping the fabric from his knees to the ankles.

Getting out of bed, he got himself dressed into casual clothing: a pair of dark jeans, a black shirt, and tennis shoes (he had to be careful when putting the shirt on, or it would've been ripped by his claws/blades.) Allen picked out darker clothing so he wouldn't attract attention. With his innocence activated, the akuma would get attracted him, and he could fight them off easily without interruption from any civilians.

Allen left his apartment and silently went up the stairs. Why up instead of down? Simple. His way of traveling involved jumping on the rooftops of buildings. Most exorcists did this when moving within towns, unless they needed to gather information, or were planning to find a place to stay for the night. But Allen was doing neither, so now he was jumping swiftly on the roofs of people's homes.

Throughout his patrol he defeated many level ones and a few level twos. Level threes are more interested in collecting innocence rather than killing humans (not that they didn't do it; they _definitely_ did), so they didn't show up.

During a part of his patrol, Allen noticed a CROW observing him from the shadows. If it had been Link, he would've immediately questioned Allen's actions. But no such thing happened, so he guessed it was the others he hadn't been introduced to yet. He wasn't doing anything bad (other than ignoring Komui's orders), so he didn't bother to explain himself. They didn't ask for one either, so there was no trouble.

Everything was going smooth enough, but as usual, fate seemed to hate Allen for an unknown reason. As he was patrolling around the markets, he saw someone familiar walking down the dim lit street. _Lenalee_ was walking down the street, holding bags of what looked like grocery. 'Who goes shopping at 10:00p.m.!? Why is she here!?' Allen thought, slightly panicking inside.

"Please let her get home without any trouble. Please, please, please!" Allen whispered to himself as he watched her. But _no,_ fate (or was it luck?) was not on his side these days. A man approached her, one that Allen recognized as an akuma. But Allen had to wait until the akuma revealed itself, otherwise it'd look like he murdered a human, except they'd turn to dust. He also wanted, if possible, to keep Lenalee as far as possible from the battle. So he waited, but this didn't last long. Lenalee was smart enough to know that the 'man' was suspicious.

When she declined the help the 'man' offered, it grew impatient and turned into its metallic ball form, causing poor Lenalee to scream at the top of her lungs. She dropped all her bags and started stepping away slowly.

That's when Allen came jumping down, with the mask already on his face. Landing on top of the akuma, he slashed at it with his left hand. A large, white cross was engraved into the akuma (later known as "Cross Grave"), and Allen jumped away before it exploded. Lenalee watched the whole time, speechless.

"You should get home. There are probably more of them on the way." Allen said, not facing her. He tried to make his voice sound a bit different, but he wasn't sure if it worked or not. Allen just hoped he didn't sound silly.

He grabbed the grocery bags Lenalee had dropped, and walked to where she was standing as he gestured for her to take them. She blinked a few times before she was out of her trance, and took the bags gently.

"T-thank you." Lenalee said quietly.

"You're welcome. Try not to stay out this late again." Allen said with a small smile. Lenalee nodded, then ran off in the direction she was facing. Allen waited for her to be out of view and sighed. 'That didn't turn out too badly.' he thought to himself. He turned to leave, oblivious that a phone directed towards him had just snapped a picture.


	11. Chapter 11

Guys! You won't believe what I saw last night!" Lenalee exclaimed to her friends around the lunch table. She had been waiting all day restlessly for their break to come, so she could tell them about her encounter.

When she told her brother, Komui, he had showed a series of emotions. First, he had been worried about the attack, then curious of her savior; when she showed him the picture, he had looked angry and concerned at the same time, which confused her. But he didn't explain himself, so she dropped the subject.

"What happened? You seem excited." Alma said.

"Okay, so I went shopping last night because we were out of supplies for our meals the next day." Lenalee began.

"What time was that?" Lavi interrupted.

"Around nine o'clock, I guess." she replied with a shrug. Everyone stared at her for a second. 'Who goes shopping alone at that time?' the four boys thought to themselves.

"Anyway, on my way back, a man came up to me and asked if I needed help carrying my bags. Of course, I declined, saying I was fine. Then he offers to take me home."

"Are you okay? Did he do anything to you?" Alma asked.

"I'm fine, let me finish." Lenalee said, waving away his concerns. Then she continues. "So I tell the man that my house isn't far, and that I could get home on my own. Something seemed to snap; he looked furious and impatient before...something happened. His body started to move kind of funny before he morphed into some kind of monster."

"The same one I saw?" Arron asked, acting.

"It could've been. It looked like a giant sphere with a face at the top and guns all around it. It was absolutely creepy." Lenalee said with a shudder.

"You don't look hurt, and I don't recall you having the ability to beat the monster." Kanda said. He was asking how she managed to get away unhurt, unlike Arron.

"That's the thing. Before the monster could do anything, someone had come jumping down from who-knows-where, and attacked it. After only one hit, the monster exploded!" Lenalee explained.

"Wow, I wonder who it was. Are there more people who fight those monsters?" Lavi asked, going with the flow of the conversation. Kanda glared at Lavi, reasons unknown to the other two. Everyone had finished their lunch by now except Arron who was drinking orange juice from the school cartons.

"But that's not all." Lenalee said, capturing everyone's attention once again. "After the person helped me get my things together, he said I should leave before more monsters arrived. When I turned a corner, I waited a few seconds before looking back. The boy was still there, and I was able to get a picture of him right before he left!" Lenalee said, obviously proud of her accomplishment.

Arron, on the other hand, had choked on his juice and was currently having a coughing fit. Lavi tried to comfort his friend by patting him lightly on the back.

"Are you okay?" Lenalee asked.

"Yeah, just drank too fast." Arron replied with a strained voice. "You said something about a picture?"

"Oh, give me a second." She took out her phone and found the picture at the end of her camera roll. Lenalee clicked on it, and placed her phone on the table for everyone to see. The picture showed the boy's side; he was turning when she took the picture. It was dark, so the colors didn't show really well, other than the shining silver mask over his face. They guessed his hair color to be blonde (little did they know that it was the white that their very friend had).

They observed in silence until the ringing of another phone could be heard. Arron took out his phone; someone was calling him, but who would during school hours? He decided to answer anyway.

"Hello?"

 _"_ _Arron Wright! What happened to the conversation we had just yesterday? Did you not hear me when I told you_ _ **not**_ _to overwork yourself!?"_ That voice was Komui's. Luckily for Arron, Lenalee didn't notice because it was muffled over the phone. But they all heard his words because of the volume he was speaking in.

"Supervisor?! Can you stop yelling? What are you calling me at school for? I thought we had a deal?" Arron asked. The others no longer heard anything, as there was no more yelling. But they were all wondering who this 'supervisor' was.

Arron cringed, and said, "Okay, I'm sorry; my bad. I won't do it again. But I'm already better now, so I don't see the need to fuss about it." There was silence, then…

"Yes, I know." he continued. "No, I don't think he'd care. It's probably in his favor anyway. I still have classes to attend to, so can we talk about this when I get there _after_ school?" Arron asked.

"Thank you. Bye."

"What was that about?" Alma asked.

"Oh, my supervisor for work was calling me."

"You work?" Lenalee asked.

"Yeah, more like a part time job. The boss got mad at me for doing work last night when I had been told to rest because of my legs. Honestly, he didn't have to make such a big deal out of it." Arron said.

"You were stuck in bed with a fever for overstressing yourself, and you went to work?" Kanda asked. "Sometimes I wonder if you want to kill yourself."

"Hahaha, of course not. I just can't sit still. I want to be doing something when I have the time. It's hard for me to sit in one place for long. But I guess classes are the exception."

"That's why I said you're going to collapse. You neglect your own health way too much." Lenalee reprimanded. The lunch bell rang, and Arron took that as his que to escape. Even if he did have the same class with two of them.

"Well, there's the bell. See ya." he said before dashing.

"Aaah, don't you dare run away from me! I still have plenty of things to say to you." Lenalee said, running after him. Lavi and Alma laughed, while Kanda huffed a sigh.

"We should get going too." And so they all went to their respective class.

* * *

"Hey Allen, what was that about at lunch?" Lavi asked. They were already at their last class, and the teacher had given them a study hall day while she took care of some other matters. Allen was currently finishing up his homework so he could be free to rest -or go on missions- when he got home.

Of course, that was after he went to headquarters where he'd be listening to Komui's endless complaints. He knew that the supervisor would find out eventually, but he hadn't expected it to happen this soon. Lenalee had to sneak a picture of him. Allen sighed.

"Patrol." he told Lavi, stopping the work he was doing. "There have been too many akuma appearances at night, and I was trying to minimize the damage. And I'm glad I did it tonight, or Lenalee may have…"

"Yeah, it was good thinking on your part." Lavi said. "It already passed, so don't think about it too much. But it was obvious why Komui was mad at you. You didn't have the fabric down your back, so it was wrapped around your legs, right?" Allen nodded.

"What did Central think of this? You didn't tell anyone, did you?"

"No, but there were some CROWS watching me from afar. They probably thought my eye activated and I was just taking care of passing akuma, so they probably didn't think anything about it."

Lavi nodded silently. "Do you want me to help you with it?" he asked.

"I wouldn't mind, but if you don't want everyone to find out who you are, you're going to have to cover your face somehow. I have my innocence mask, but you'll have to find something." Allen said.

"I'll actually have fun looking for a mask or something. And jumping roofs in the dead of the night like phantom thieves."

"Why is everyone comparing masks and my ideas with thievery. Honestly, you're ruining my image."

"I wonder how long it'll take for it to go out in the newspaper. Our appearances against the 'monsters', I mean." Lavi questioned no one in particular.

Allen stretched his arms out above him. "Mmm, it depends on how many people see us. And how often the akuma appear. From the way things are going right now, they only seem to be increasing. There's also the problem of finding out the Earl's plans." he said, thinking of how it was last night.

"I guess we'll just have to see, then. Are you doing it every night?" Lavi asked.

"As long as Komui doesn't have anything against it."

"Well, you could always text me."

"Oh yeah, I had forgotten about that." Allen said, looking at all the contacts that had been added recently. He had never really exchanged numbers with other people because it wouldn't last, but ever since coming back to his hometown, everything seemed to flip unexpectedly.

"Do you ever plan on telling them?" Lavi asked.

"I don't know."

"They already know some things. Kanda's been trying to find out since the day you went over to Alma's house. They were awake when we had our conversation." Lavi said. Allen looked at him with wide eyes. He opened his mouth to say something, but closed it and turned to look out the window.

"And I assume you knew that?" he asked Lavi.

"Yeah..."

"And I assume they asked you about it?"

"Um, yeah…"

"And I _assume_ you told them more than they heard?" Allen asked, now looking at Lavi with a death glare.

"M-maybe?" Lavi was getting nervous. Allen's reaction was calmer than he thought, which was weird. Even if he was glaring, Lavi had expected to get dragged out of the room and yelled at like what happened when he almost said Allen's name.

"And what made you tell them? You're a Bookman; you should know how to keep a secret. What did you tell them, anyway?"

"Well, they found out that Link and Ray are observers, and that you're considered a threat. They also heard about Cross, but they don't know anything about him. They know that you have a job involving the people who consider you a threat. And Kanda found out that you have a curse. That's most of the important stuff they know." Lavi said, listing them off. Allen hummed thoughtfully.

"They also heard when you mentioned killing your father. Though I don't know what they think about it." Lavi said softly.

"You'd think they'd try to stay away from me, but they only seem to getting more interested." Allen said.

"I'm pretty sure that's because you 'know' Allen Walker. They want to find out what happened to him." Lavi shrugged as he said this.

"Now you're making me feel bad. I probably should tell them." Allen said. "I will after I settle my thoughts." he decided.

"How long will that take? Kanda's catching up you know."

"Because _someone_ helped him. "Allen said, once again glaring at Lavi.

"Okay yeah, my bad. But you can't help but feel bad for them." was his reply. Allen cocked an eyebrow.

"You're a Bookman. Not saying you don't have emotions, but you should be able to hide them or at least keep them to yourself."

"During our line of work. I don't consider school or my friends 'work'. Besides, you chose to tell them anyway, so does it matter?"

"Whatever." Allen huffed. He went back to completing his homework. But the bell rang soon after, so he only had time to finish a few math problems.

"There goes my break."

"Do you have a mission?" Lavi asked while they packed their belongings.

"No, I have a meeting with Komui." Allen replied dismally.

"Oh. I forgot about that. He's going to yell your ears off." Lavi had a nervous smile on his face. Allen sighed, "I'll just say that I sensed akuma, and if I hadn't made it in time, his sister wouldn't have been safe. Though I feel kind of bad for using Lenalee as my cover." he said. Lavi laughed.

"You're a schemer, aren't you?"

"Don't know what you're talking about." Allen said, fleeing ahead of him into the hallway, where he ran into Alma.

"Hey Arron and Lavi!" he greeted cheerfully.

"Hi Alma." the two replied in unison.

"I came to pick you guys up. Are you free right now?" Alma asked.

"Actually, I have to meet with my supervisor, the one who called at lunch, (even though I don't want to). He wasn't too happy to know I was working later than he allowed." Allen said, mumbling half of the words.

"Oh. Okay, good luck." Alma said.

"Thanks, bye!" Allen ran off, leaving Alma and Lavi in the hallway. They soon made their way out of the school.

"Say, where's Kanda?"

"Mm, he said he had something to do, and left. Probably practicing with Mugen."

"Are you sure he won't try to kill someone with his short temper. Learning to use a sword and all?" Lavi asked nervously.

Alma shrugged. "He hasn't hurt anyone _too_ seriously… yet." he said.

"What does that mean?" Lavi asked. "I'm not one of his targets, am I?"

"Haha, I don't know, but it's very likely. Though, I think the one he's really after is our friend, Allen. When he finds him after five years, I'm sure he'll want to beat some answers out of the guy. I have my own questions to ask, too." Alma said. Lavi gulped. 'Since when has Alma been this shady!? Allen, you'd better run!' he thought to himself.

"By the way, Arron said he has work. Where does he go?" Alma asked no one in particular. 'They're gaining on him! Allen, I'm sorry to say this, but I don't think you can escape!' (Somewhere in an apartment, a boy felt a shiver down his spine.)

"Tomorrow's going to be a very hectic day." Lavi murmured.

"What?" Alma asked, not quite catching the words.

"Nothing, we should get going home."

"Alright. See you tomorrow."

* * *

As soon as Kanda got home, he finished his homework within an hour. Then he remade the list of information they knew about Arron, and was staring at what they now had:

 _-Being observed by Ray, Link, and a few others._

 _-Reason: has a curse (effects: seeing more than a normal person can?), considered a threat to "The Order", where he works._

 _-Job involves the monsters appearing during the night._

 _-Has a teacher named Cross Marian. Given the title of 'General' (meaning unknown)._

 _-Lavi also involved as a "Bookman"._

 _-Said to have killed his father_

 _-Has a personal connection to Allen Walker_

Kanda sighed. With what Lavi told him, he was able to connect a few things, but it was too vague, and not nearly enough to know much about Allen. And if Arron is doing all this stuff, who knows what Allen was doing.

The doorbell rang, so Kanda went to the door to open it. He knew Alma would be coming, so he had expected it.

"Hi Kanda."

"Hey." Alma walked in and took himself to Kanda's room. Kanda followed and went back to trying to make sense of the information they had.

"So, you made a new list? When'd you get all this stuff?"

"Lavi told me. I got a few things connected, but there's still too much we don't know." Kanda said. Alma took the paper to read it as he sat down.

"Wait, Lavi told you that Arron's work had to do with those monsters?" he asked.

"No, but I think it's pretty obvious. He said he was attacked by them, but was only injured. Anyone who is said to have seen them apparently disappeared, so how was Arron the only one to get away? He made all those excuses so we wouldn't notice." Kanda explained. "Plus, he was acting weird when Lenalee told her story about the attack."

"But that means that there's a lot more people working on this." Alma muttered to himself.

"What do you mean?" Kanda asked.

"That call Arron got during lunch was from his supervisor. Would he have a supervisor if it was just a few people that were working on this? There may be a whole organization or company or something that Arron works at. That's what 'The Order' probably is!" Alma exclaimed. Kanda agreed. He added that to the paper, then put it away. That was enough, at least for now.

"Have you finished your homework? Kanda asked. It was still around four o'clock, but with everything that was going on, Alma tended to forget about it.

"No. Have you?" Kanda nodded. "Okay, I guess I should go home and finish it up." He got up and walked to the door. He didn't bring his stuff, so he left empty-handed as well. Before he could leave though, Kanda called him from the room.

"What is it?" Alma asked. Kanda stayed silent for a minute before replying.

"Have you heard of the name, 'Mana'?"


	12. Chapter 12

**Sorry for the wait! I'll have to say, I didn't expect things to advance this quickly, but you've got yourselves some action up ahead (I apologize if my battle scenes are terrible), so enjoy!**

* * *

Alma sat silently in class, wracking his brain to find an answer he knew was in there somewhere, but he couldn't remember. It was at the tip of his tongue, and it had started to frustrate him that he couldn't recall it.

"Hey, Alma. You're crumbling your classwork." Lenalee said, pointing to his hand that had the paper in a fist.

"Oh, oops." He tried to unwrinkle it by flattening it out on his desk. Alma realized that he still had half of the problems to finish, and class was about to be over.

"Crap!" He scrambled through the problems, trying to get them all done. Beside him Lenalee sighed.

"You are really hopeless sometimes." she said, passing him her own paper. Alma took it gladly. Though he didn't usually just copy answers, right now wasn't the moment to be thinking about that.

"What were you so frustrated about anyway?" Lenalee asked, not done talking.

"I was trying to remember something." he replied, focused on the work.

"Hmm. You know, Kanda and Lavi have been acting weird lately. Do you know why?"

"Weird how?" Alma asked.

"Well, they both seem to be distracted with something, and they've been together more often. Normally, Kanda would try to avoid him, but now it's the opposite." Lenalee says.

"Oh. That's because Lavi found something about Allen and Kanda's been trying to find him." Alma said.

"Allen Walker? Your childhood friend?" she asked.

"Yeah. He disappeared five years ago with his father, Ma-" Alma froze. _Mana Walker, Allen's dad!_ he thought, remembering. The bell rang, indicating lunch time. Alma turned in both his and Lenalee's paper to the teacher before running to the door.

"Thanks Lenalee!" he shouted to his bewildered friend before he ran off to find Kanda. He found him walking alone towards the cafeteria.

"Kanda!" Alma yelled, getting the boy's attention along with a few bystanders. He stopped in front of him, hands on his knees and out of breath.

"What is it?" Kanda asked.

"I remembered!"

"Remembered?"

"The name you asked about; I remembered! It's Mana Walker, Allen's dad."

Something clicked in Kanda's mind. His face showed realization, but also disbelief. _If Mana was Allen's dad, then did that mean Arron was…?_ He recalled the conversation between Arron and Lavi.

 _"_ _Is this...Allen Walker?"_

 _"_ _Yep, that's him."_

 _"_ _Quite the difference, isn't it?" Arron said._ Between the picture and him, Kanda finished.

 _"_ _Yeah, I wouldn't have noticed, even as a Bookman."_ Kanda also remembered the conversation between himself and Lavi.

 _"_ _What is the relationship between Arron Wright and Allen Walker?"_

 _"_ _Wow, you really hit a sensitive spot; a very sensitive topic for Arron actually. That's something you shouldn't pry into just yet."_ There was no relationship between them at all; they were the same person. With this realization, Kanda became furious. He came back after five years, and he was right there all along. So why did he act like a stranger. Did he forget about them? No, from what Lavi implied, Arron knew. So why?

"Um Kanda? Why did you want to know about Mana?" Alma asked. But Kanda wasn't paying attention. He stormed off to find Arron. It wasn't hard, considering it was lunch. Kanda walked over to their usual table, where Arron, Lavi, and Lenalee were chatting.

" Hey." Kanda called, his mood showing clearly. The three looked at him, and the first to speak was Lavi.

"Hi, Yuu. Have you se-" he was interrupted by Kanda slamming a hand on the table, giving him a death glare.

"Don't call me that!" he snarled. He turned the glare at Arron, and the latter seemed to understand what was going on.

"You want to talk, right?" Arron said, getting up. Kanda nodded and walked off, knowing he'd be followed.

"Good luck!" Lavi called, understanding the situation. Lenalee was once again confused, and Alma was still somewhere unknown.

Kanda led Arron to the back of the school where nobody would bother them. And so, the tense conversation began.

"Start talking." Kanda said bluntly, obviously still angry.

"Okay. So you probably already found out, but my real name is Allen Walker…" Arron- no, Allen- said.

"Were you ever planning to _say_ anything?" Kanda asked.

"At first, no. You should have already realized that I'm a part of some crazy stuff, and getting you involved is the last thing I want to do." Allen said. "But. I eventually decided you should at least know about me, and was actually planning to tell you by the end of this week. Though you found out first." Allen added. "What led you to find out?"

"Mana, your father's name." Kanda replied.

"Of course, that was careless of me."

"How did you change so much? Your hair was brown, now it's white. You didn't have a scar, and your arm definitely wasn't deformed."

"This," Allen said, holding a strand of his hair. "Is because of the curse. I believe Lavi spilled you some information?" Kanda only nodded, feeling Allen's slight anger.

"What is that curse anyway? I didn't believe in that stuff anyway, until I heard from Lavi, and actually saw you."

"That's-" Allen stopped, feeling a sudden pain in his left eye. He covered it with his hands as he fell to one knee. Kanda rushed over, confused and _slightly_ worried.

"What's wrong?" he asked. Allen looked up at him, his hands moving from his eye. Horror was apparent on his face, but that wasn't what caught Kanda's attention. Allen's left eye had become completely black, with red lines circling the center. However, before Kanda could question it, Allen bolted. He was about to run off, but Kanda grabbed him by the arm.

"What's wrong!?" he repeated, getting nervous.

"Those monsters are near here, and I need to stop them before they destroy the whole school and everyone in it!" Allen shouted frantically. Kanda didn't know how Allen could possibly know this, or what he could do against them, but there wasn't much he could do but trust him.

"I'll get everyone evacuated."

"Thank you, Kanda. And please tell Lavi about it." Allen said. "Link!" he shouted, knowing he was there. The man suddenly appeared next to him. "I already called for reinforcements." he said.

"Help everyone get out of here. I'll handle the akuma." They heard another explosion, causing Allen to activate his innocence, rushing off to the scene. Kanda recognized him from Lenalee's picture, and he almost smacked himself for not noticing earlier.

Instead, he took off into the school with Link behind him. Kanda still didn't trust the guy, but he knew Link could do a lot more than he would be able to. In the school, Link went off on his own, and Kanda made it to the cafeteria. It was a good thing lunch wasn't over yet. It would make things a lot easier.

"Lavi!" Kanda called as he spotted the redhead. This time he was sitting with Lenalee and Alma.

"Yuu, what happen-" he was once again interrupted.

"No time for that. Those monsters are coming, and Allen went to take care of it on his own. Link called for reinforcements a few minutes ago." Kanda blurted. Lavi immediately took action.

"I'm going to help Allen. You get the fire alarm buzzing; hopefully everyone can get out of the building in time." Kanda did just that, and luckily, an explosion that had gotten considerably louder convinced them that it was real. Everyone left through the back, away from the source of commotion. The teachers led them far enough that they wouldn't get dragged into the whole mess.

Kanda, on the other hand, wasn't planning to go with them. He ran the opposite direction to the front of the school. Apparently he wasn't the only one who had thought to do this. He bumped into Lenalee and Alma right before the entrance.

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

"What is that supposed to mean? You come running into the cafeteria, say something about _Allen_ , our _missing_ childhood friend, fighting off monsters, and expect me to just ignore it?" _Oh._ Kanda had forgotten that they had been next to him and Lavi during the conversation.

"And you're here too, so you have no say against us being with you." Lenalee added stubbornly.

"Whatever." Kanda said. "Just-" the rest of his sentence wasn't heard because something had come crashing through the wall, sending rocks and debris flying everywhere. The trio looked at the large hole, and as the smoke cleared they saw Allen. Though he had his mask on, and everyone was too shocked to realize that it was him other than Kanda.

Allen slowly got up, wobbling before he steadied himself on his feet. He was about to leave, but he spotted the 'spectators' watching him, at the edge of what could be considered a battlefield.

"What the heck are you doing here? Didn't you evacuate with the rest of the school?" Allen shouted.

"Are you okay?" Lenalee asked, not paying attention to his words. Allen cursed under his breath, but everyone heard him.

"Never mind. Just come with me and follow _everything_ I say, got it?" he said sternly. Everyone nodded, and he led them outside. The sight was horrendous; thousands of akuma swarmed the sky like bees. People in uniform were fighting them, each with their own weapon. Some were injured, while others supported. Some were slicing through the akuma, the creatures exploding to dust.

"Lavi!" Lenalee called, noticing their friend in the battle. He was carrying a hammer larger than himself, attacking the akuma surrounding him. Lenalee stepped forward, but Allen stopped her.

"Don't move from here."

"But Lavi's out there!" Lenalee exclaimed.

"He going to be fine. He can take care of himself, otherwise he wouldn't be there. Even if you went there, you'd only get yourself killed." Allen said. Lenalee nodded, but she was watching, still worried. _What were those monsters? Will the people fighting be okay? When will this be over?_ These thoughts went through her mind.

Then, the worst thing possible happened. At least, that's what Allen thought. An eerie laugh could be heard above them. In the sky, a fat man holding a pink umbrella with a wide smile on his face could be seen as he watched the battle. _The Millennium Earl!_

"Change of plans. Go to the back of the school, now!" Allen hissed.

"What? Why?" Kanda asked, wondering who the clown-looking man was.

"You agreed to listen to me, so hurry up and go!" But it was too late; the Earl turned his attention to them, and the smile that was already impossibly wide seemed to get wider.

"Oh, what a familiar face. It's been five years, hasn't it? _Allen Walker!_ " the Earl said. Allen scowled at him, clenching his fist. "Oh, or do you go by Arron, now?" Now Alma was panicking as he tried to process the information.

"Millennium Earl! Why are you attacking a school!? You've been the cause of enough casualties, and now you want to kill hundreds of kids!?" Allen shouted, outraged.

"To gain more akuma of course! The devastation the surviving students are left in is perfect material for my akuma."

"I'll never forgive you."

"Are you talking about your father? You know that you were the one who accepted my offer. I never imagined that you would survive after you turned your father into an akuma. Really, what a surprise." the Earl said. All eyes went to Allen as he frowned at the man. Things were starting to connect.

"If you find the chance, get out of here." Allen said quietly, and without waiting for an answer, leaped into the air towards the Earl for an attack. The latter took out his large, broad sword and blocked Allen.

The two exchanged blows continuously, the others barely keeping up with their moves. It had completely slipped from their mind that they needed to get away due to their awe, which came into the Earl's advantage. A small, purple light gathered into his hands, growing bigger and bigger. Allen prepared for the attack, but was surprised to find that it wasn't aimed towards him at all. It headed straight for his friends, and if he tried to get there himself, it would be too late.

The group watched the ball of purple heading towards them, knowing they were in trouble. They closed their eyes, thinking it was too late. But it never came. Opening their eyes, they saw white in front of them.

"Allen's cape!" Lenalee said. Before any of them could agree, a piercing scream could be heard from above. The cape dropped, as if it lost its power, and they gasped at the sight before them. The Earl had stabbed Allen with his sword, and their fell to the ground; blood was pooling around him at an alarming rate.

"Allen!" Alma yelled, running towards his friend.

"Idiot, don't go out there!" Kanda shouted, but Alma didn't listen. He was now kneeling next to Allen, trying to stop the bleeding. The Earl approached them, unconcerned of the situation. Kanda felt useless as he watched. He couldn't do anything as Allen fought. He had even given up his own defense to protect them and was on the verge of death. After five years, he's finally back, and now he was going to go again? No. Kanda had had enough.

Suddenly, Lenalee yelped away as a green light engulfed him, and Mugen was in his hands.


	13. Chapter 13

**Hey guys! Here's the next chapter. Enjoy!**

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Lavi jumped away as another set of akuma were destroyed. Looking at the school grounds that became a battlefield, he could tell that this was one of the worst battles in years. The Earl sent akuma regularly, but never in this amount; at least, not recently.

Exorcists were fighting everywhere, but the swarm never seemed to end. Everyone was getting tired, making it easier for the akuma to inflict damage. Lavi knew they wouldn't hold up at this point. Thankfully there were no casualties… yet.

He kept attacking and destroying akuma with his hammer, until he faintly heard a cry of pain over the noises around him. The sound came from his right, farther back than he was. That's where he saw exchange between the Earl and Allen, and the latter getting stabbed before falling to the ground.

"Allen!" he yelled, but his voice couldn't be heard. He saw Alma going towards Allen, while Kanda was shouting at him. Lenalee stood beside Kanda, watching the scene in fear.

Suddenly, a bright light shone around the two, and when it disappeared, Kanda was holding a glowing Mugen in shock. _Innocence?!_ Lavi thought, as shocked as the other of this outcome. But there was no time for that. Allen wouldn't last long, and the Earl was already approaching them.

Lavi swung his hammer down towards the Earl, but the man avoided it. Unexpected by both of them, a sharp, blade-like light sliced at the Earl, sending him back into the school through a wall. Lavi turned to Kanda who had swung Mugen.

"Nice one, Kanda!" Lavi said as the other stared at his sword in confusion and wonder. But soon, the expression changed to determination, and Kanda's grip on the hilt tightened. Lavi joined him, and they ran to where Allen and Alma were, along with Lenalee. Alma was shaking as he tried to stop the blood, soaking his hands in the process. Allen was barely conscious; his breathing was hitched and shallow. Lavi immediately took off his scarf and tied it around Allen tightly while he spoke.

"Allen, hold on buddy. We'll get you fixed up."

"G-t them… out o-" Allen began coughing up blood, preventing him from speaking. Lenalee gasped in horror.

"Don't talk. We're doing fine, so worry about yourself for once." Kanda replied. Allen wanted to laugh, to reassure them, but nothing left his lips but the blood he coughed up. Lavi looked around, calmly looking for someone.

"How troublesome." a voice said behind them. "To think we'd have another exorcist; troublesome indeed." Lavi cursed, but he already found who he was looking for.

"Miranda!" he called. The woman looked in his direction and ran over as soon as she saw Allen.

"Miranda as in, Ms. Lotto?!" Lenalee asked.

"Yes, but no time for that." Lavi said. He turned to face Miranda. "Take care of him while I distract the Earl." She nodded nervously and activated her innocence, Time Record. Clocks surrounded them like a dome, and the same clocks were being removed from Allen's body. After a few minutes, he looked as good as new, even his clothes.

"Thanks Miranda." Allen said, standing up.

"W-where are you going?" she asked. "Y-you should k-know that all of this is t-temporary! Once I release the a-activation, t-the injuries w-will return!" Allen smiled lightly.

"I know, but Lavi can't face the Earl on his own. And once you release your innocence, the medics would already be here." he said. He turned to face Kanda, Alma, and Lavi. When he saw Mugen, his expression became sad.

"What's with that face?" Kanda asked.

"I seem to attract trouble everywhere. I didn't want you to get involved, but there's nothing to do about it now. Stay here and _don't_ try to do anything unless an akuma approaches you. Miranda's innocence can keep you safe."

"Allen…" Alma said with hesitation. Allen finally realized that they knew who he was.

"We can talk once this is all over. I'll answer all your questions, so just wait until then?" Alma nodded slowly, and Allen left the dome. Kanda realized that Mugen wasn't glowing anymore.

"What's 'innocence?'"

"More like, what is all of this? What's going on?" Lenalee asked. Kanda and Alma knew slightly of it because of Lavi, but she had no idea what was going on.

"I g-guess I-I can explain." Miranda said, not sure if she should or not. But Kanda had Innocence, and Lenalee was Komui's sister, so why not?

Outside, Lavi and Allen were fighting with the Earl. Allen had recovered his mask and cape. They stood in tense positions a few feet away from the Earl as he cackled gleefully.

"Already recovered? What an interesting innocence. But it will get in the way of my plans, so I'll have to destroy it."

"Like we'd let you!" Allen exclaimed. He jumped towards the Earl, once again returning blows back and forth. Lavi joined in as well, but the damage only increased slightly.

Suddenly, the Earl flew back, clearing away from them. He raised his right hand up, and the purple glow once again began to appear. It grew larger than the one before, becoming bigger than the man himself.

"We will meet again, Allen Walker!" and the big globe of energy was thrown down at them. Allen took Lavi with him under his cape. The earth rumbled violently at the impact, and when it was over, a crater-sized hole was in the ground. Part of the school had also been destroyed as well. The two checked over the damage, before Allen once again began coughing up blood, the wounds all returning. He collapsed, and the last thing he heard was Lavi calling his name and a footsteps signifying that more people had already come.

Allen sat in a bed of the infirmary room. Currently, he was at headquarters, transported there after the battle. After the Earl was gone, the akuma had retreated as well. So the students were safe for now. Speaking of students, Kanda, Alma, and Lenalee had been brought back to the order for a few reasons.

1) Kanda had gained an innocence, so he was to officially join the exorcists. He wanted to know more of what was going on, so he didn't decline.

2) Komui was worried about his 'cute little Lenalee' and wanted her brought and taken care of. It would be an understatement to say that she was shocked to find out that her brother was the supervisor of this 'organization'. She was also quite angry for not being told.

And 3) with everything they'd seen, there was no way the order could just let them loose with that information.

Allen sighed. Things never tended to go the way he wanted, did they? Allen was about to get up from bed. The nurse had instructed for him to stay in bed, and he's been there for a few days now. It can get very boring. But just as he was about to get off, the door to the infirmary opened, revealing Alma and Kanda. When they saw him, he smiled sheepishly, knowing he'd been found out.

"Allen! Were you trying to leave?! The nurse said that you had to stay in bed for at least ten days. It's only been three!" Alma reprimanded.

"But I'm bored! There's not a single thing to do in here!" Allen pouted, letting himself fall back onto the bed. There was a sting of pain, but he ignored it. "Did they explain anything?" he asked, suddenly getting solemn.

"About the akuma and exorcists? Yeah, Komui told us." Alma said.

"You going to become one?" Allen asked Kanda. _Not that he has a choice. They won't let an exorcists slip out of their hands._

"Why does it look like you hate the idea?" Kanda asked. Allen hadn't meant to show that on his face.

"So you are? If it's just to know about what's going on, then I-"

"That's not why." Kanda interrupted. "You think I'd just sit back and watch when I could do something?"

"I guess that's true. But really, what are the odds that you'd get an innocence after how hard I tried to keep it from you." Allen said while chuckling.

"Yeah, so you have some explaining to do. I want to know everything from five years ago to now." Before Allen could respond, the infirmary door burst open, and a man with an exorcist coat with gold lining walked in; a general. He had long, red hair and a mask covering half of his face. Allen jolted up as he realized who it was.

"Master! What are you-" Allen stopped when the man came up to him, smacking a fist down at his head.

"Ouch! What was that for? Is that how you treat your injured student?!" Allen asked.

"Stupid apprentice! What are you doing getting yourself into a fight with the Earl?! And you thought you could win?" Cross Marian said.

"I'm an exorcist! You expect me to just let him go?! And I don't want to hear that from you, the one who's been neglecting his duties for three years! After bringing me here, you never once reported back! And you're supposed to be a general!" Allen argued.

"Hmph. And what'd you want me to do? Come here so I can comfort you for your loss? Ha! You'll always be a stupid apprentice." Allen grit his teeth. He hated his teacher's attitude after everything he's done to him. Luckily, the nurse kicked him out for disturbing the patients.

"Who was that?" Alma asked after everything quieted down.

"General Cross Marian. Also my teacher. You've been told about Generals, right?" Kanda and Alma nodded in response.

"You don't seem to like him. What kind of person is he?" Kanda asked, curious as to who would rile him up like that.

"He's the devil." Allen stated darkly. "After my first encounter with the Earl, he found me, and took me in as his student. But I'd rather have lived in the streets than go with him."

"Eh? That bad?"

"That guy would always go drinking at a bar somewhere, and never paid the bill. As a result, I had to work for him every single day and night to pay them off. And it wasn't just a simple amount either. And after all my hard work to collect some money, he would just take it to spend his time with some woman he met! He drowned me in a pool of his debts!" Allen explained. Kanda and Alma hadn't really been expecting this. Is this what a general is like?

"And after he finally allowed me to go to the order, the first thing he does is smack my head with a hammer and run off for the next three years! What kind of general is he to run from headquarters! Argh, he's so frustrating!"

"He hit you… with a hammer?" Alma asked.

"Yes, yes he did." Allen said with a sigh. "Which general do you have, Kanda?"

"Froi Tiedoll. Though I haven't met him yet."

"Oh, well you don't need to worry about him. He's a nice guy who likes kids. He has two other apprentices: Marie and Daisya. They're nice people to be around."

"So, how long were you with General Cross?" Alma asked.

"Two years. After that, I was sent to the order, and when Central found out how I had gotten my innocence from a curse, they put me under watch."

"Central?"

"Central acts as the liaison between His Holiness the Pope and the Black Order. Basically they are higher up, and even Komui can't do anything about their orders. Malcolm C. Lvellie is a high-ranking inspector of the Central Agency, and let's just say he isn't the greatest guy in the world." Allen said.

"That's the greatest understatement you could make, Allen. Admit it, Lvellie's the worst."

"Lavi! Where were you?" Alma asked.

"I was with my gramps for a while. Had some work to do."

"So Mr. Bookman is also part of the order?"

"Yeah, that's why I called him to help Allen that time he came down with a fever. He specializes in medications that can help fix someone up in no time. But we also work as Bookmen, people who record the history of the world."

"So that's what a bookman is."

"Yup! Though I'm also an exorcist, as you saw a few days ago. We may have a mission together sometime, Yuu!" Lavi said, earning himself a smack on the head from Kanda.

"Don't call me that!" Kanda growled. Allen laughed. It's been a while since they've done this, so it was refreshing to have it back.

"Alright, that's enough. You need to let Mr. Walker rest. At this point he won't ever leave the bed." the nurse said, causing Allen to panic on the inside. _No, I can't stay in this bed any longer than I am already!_

"Alright. We'll see you tomorrow, okay?" Lavi said, waving.

"Yeah, later." Allen waved back with a smile. Once they left, he laid down on his bed, closing his eyes. _This isn't so bad. They took it better than I thought they would. Though Lenalee must be giving Komui an earful by now._ Allen cringed, just thinking about it. He let himself relax into the mattress and covered himself with the sheets. _I just hope it stays this way._

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 **Hope you liked this chapter! And this is the end of my story. Well, kind of. I decided that I could end it here, or if I get enough reviews, I'll possibly make a sequel to it. But for now, this is it. So I hope you liked reading my first story here on . I will be hopefully make more fanfics, though not necessarily D. Gray-man. Again, if you would like a sequel, please review and tell me so. I will give you the results in time. Thank you!**


	14. Notice

**Hey again! I have good and bad news for you. The good news is: I will continue this story with a sequel, so yay! I decided I can't leave you with all those unanswered questions, and so here I am. The bad news: I won't be publishing anything right now, because I still have to organize everything. I'm thinking that the sequel will be published by at least mid-June, so I hope you can wait until then.**

 **Thank you for your comments and support towards this story, and I look forward to next time!**


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